24 June 2021 UK Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR) Inventory 2020

The Farm Animal Genetic Resources inventory has received its annual updates based on data provided by the breed societies. This includes inventory data for 2020, estimated breeding female population figures for 2021 and in some cases revisions for earlier years. The full dataset is very detailed and presented as a number of time series tables in a spreadsheet on the FAnGR Annual Statistics webpage. It presents both the data characteristics collected in the inventory and additional estimates of the populations for breeding females and the effective population for each breed. This Statistics Notice provides a summary of the data on the estimated population of breeding females for , , pigs, and . Key results

Based on the estimated number of breeding females, the population of native breeds for each species showed the following changes between 2017 and 2021:

Number of breeds Cattle Sheep Pigs Goats Increase 9 15 0 5 No change 11 17 3 0 Decrease 9 13 8 0 Total 29 45 11 5 Notes: 1. Increase or decrease is by more than 10% otherwise it is classed as no change 2. Only includes breeds with data for both 2017 and 2021

This shows a mixed picture for cattle and sheep with more than half the breeds showing either an increase or a decrease. Pigs show an overall trend of falling populations whilst goats are showing an overall increasing trend. Contents

UK Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR) Inventory 2020 ...... 1 Contents ...... 2 What you need to know about this release ...... 3 Section 1 – UK Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR) Inventory ...... 4 Section 2 – Key trends in breeding female population estimates for native breeds of cattle, sheep, pigs and goats ...... 5 Section 3 – Inventory Annex ...... 17 Section 4 – Cryogenic Material ...... 18 Section 5 – Notes relating to specific species and breeds ...... 19 Section 6 – About these statistics ...... 22

What you need to know about this release

Contact details Responsible statistician: Alexandra Hall, Foss House, Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PX.

Tel: +44 (0)207 714 1374 Email: [email protected]

An Official Statistics publication These statistics are produced to the high professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, which sets out eight principles including meeting user needs, impartiality and objectivity, integrity, sound methods and assured quality, frankness and accessibility. See the Statistics Authority for further details on Official Statistics. For general enquiries about National and Official Statistics, contact the National Statistics Public Enquiry Service: Tel: 0845 601 3034 Email: [email protected]. You can find more information about National and Official Statistics on the GOV.UK website. User engagement As part of our ongoing commitment to compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, we wish to strengthen our engagement with users of these statistics and better understand the use made of them and the types of decisions that they inform. Consequently, we invite users to make themselves known, to advise us of the use they do, or might, make of these statistics, and what their wishes are in terms of engagement. Feedback on this notice and enquiries about these statistics are also welcome. Acknowledgements The FAnGR committee would like to thank all those breed societies already taking part and to Grassroots Systems Ltd., the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and the British Pig Association for their high level of support and input into this project. The FAnGR team would also be happy to hear your feedback on this publication and how it can be improved for future years. The next scheduled release is due to be published in the Spring of 2022 which will include data for 2021.

Section 1 – UK Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR) Inventory

1.1 Background

The UK has one of the richest native Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR) populations in the world and the importance of FAnGR has been recognised at both international and UK levels. Because of this, a commitment was made under national and global biodiversity strategies to establish an annual inventory to show how breed populations are changing over time. 1.2 Data characteristics

Certain data characteristics are collected directly from the annual inventory. Further key population estimates can then be derived from these.

Characteristic Type Female registrations Inventory Male registrations Inventory Dams Inventory Sires Inventory Breeding Herds Inventory Female breeding population Population estimate Effective population Population estimate

Details of how the population estimate parameters are calculated are provided in Section 6 About these statistics. Note that because the female breeding population estimate is based on the 3-year average of the number of female registrations and a multiplier, an estimate can be calculated for 2021 based on inventory data for 2018, 2019 and 2020. All data including inventory data, estimated data and breed status are published separately from this Statistics Notice on the same collection page here:- UK farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR): breed inventory results - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) These are presented in a spreadsheet that provides a time series from 2000 to 2020/21 for all breeds for each species. A machine-readable dataset is also available at the same collection page. 1.3 Breed status

Breeds can have NBAR (Native breed at risk) or BAR (Breed at risk) status. This status is determined by the number of registered breeding females and breeds are included on the NBAR and BAR when their populations drop below specified thresholds. These thresholds are included in Section 6 About these statistics. Section 2 – Key trends in breeding female population estimates for native breeds of cattle, sheep, pigs and goats

2.1 Introduction

This section focusses on the derived measure of the estimated breeding female population for native breeds. Details of how this is calculated are in Section 6 About these statistics. No horse data is available as no multipliers have been determined from which to estimate the breeding female population. Table 2.1 Total number of breeds by category for each species

Number of breeds Cattle Sheep Pigs Goats Native 31 62 11 6 NBAR 24 49 11 6 BAR 17 29 11 6 Total 53 81 16 15

The data presented shows the population sizes for 2017 and 2021. For each species the data are presented in line charts. These are split into two separate charts to make the trends easier to pick out. The first chart shows all breeds that have shown an increase of more than 10% and the second shows all breeds that have shown a decrease of more than 10%. The charts use a logarithmic scale with base 10. This allows the results for all breeds to be presented clearly together despite the wide variation in population sizes. Using the logarithmic scale, a 50% change in a population of 10,000 will appear as large as a 50% change in a population of 100. Using a conventional scale, the change in the smaller population would be so small as to be impossible to detect on the chart. A summary data table also presents the full set of data for all native breeds of that species, showing the percentage change between 2017 and 2021.

2.2 Summary of results for all species

Based on the estimated number of breeding females, the change in population size for native breeds between 2017 and 2021 is shown in table 2.2 Table 2.2 – Change in population between 2017 and 2021 by number of breeds

Number of breeds Cattle Sheep Pigs Goats Increase 9 15 0 5 No change 11 17 3 0 Decrease 9 13 8 0 Total 29 45 11 5 Notes: 1. Only includes breeds with data for both 2017 and 2021 so totals are lower than in table 2.1 2. Pig data compares figures for 2016 and 2020 as census data is available

This shows a mixed picture for cattle and sheep with some breeds showing an increase and others a decrease. Pigs show an overall trend of falling populations whilst goats are showing an overall increasing trend.

2.3 Cattle Results Chart 2.3a Cattle breeds increasing by more than 10% between 2017 and 2021 (N=9)

Chart 2.3b Cattle breeds decreasing by more than 10% between 2017 and 2021 (N=9)

Table 2.3 Native cattle breeds and % change (in descending order of change)

Published Cattle Breed Name 2017 2021 % Change

Vaynol 8 16 +100% Whitebred 209 381 +82% Northern Shorthorn 74 115 +55% 5,478 8,044 +47% 3,214 4,145 +29% Shorthorn 10,210 11,818 +16% British Friesian 10,635 11,990 +13% Hereford 17,361 19,327 +11% White Galloway 217 239 +10% Shetland 636 676 +6% Galloway 2,942 3,085 +5% White Park 726 744 +2% Devon (Red Ruby Devon) 7,499 7,669 +2% Aberdeen-Angus 34,795 35,566 +2% Jersey 23,825 23,570 -1% Guernsey 2,732 2,682 -2% British White 1,140 1,117 -2% Gloucester 473 460 -3% 2,795 2,702 -3% Highland 3,451 3,161 -8% 659 587 -11% Dexter 6,747 5,802 -14% 4,897 4,111 -16% South Devon 12,976 10,797 -17% Chillingham 28 23 -18% Sussex 3,824 3,053 -20% Ayrshire 24,974 18,749 -25% Welsh Black 6,504 4,629 -29% 7,489 5,104 -32%

2.4 Sheep Results Chart 2.4a Sheep breeds increasing by more than 10% between 2017 and 2021 (N=15)

Chart 2.4b Sheep breeds decreasing by more than 10% between 2017 & 2021 (N=13)

Table 2.4 Native sheep breeds and % change (in descending order of change) Published Sheep Breed Name 2017 2021 % Change 1,754 3,079 +76% Llanwenog 1,550 2,420 +56% 1,037 1,554 +50% 721 1,032 +43% Teeswater 692 941 +36% Badger Face Welsh (Torddu and Torwen) 5,723 7,780 +36% Poll Dorset 15,666 20,272 +29% 937 1,174 +25% 1,319 1,628 +23% White Face Dartmoor 2,357 2,890 +23% (including Coloured Ryeland) 5,326 6,498 +22% Portland 967 1,178 +22% Boreray 426 504 +18% 18,012 20,822 +16% 597 660 +11% 701 767 +9% Wensleydale 950 1,038 +9% Hampshire Down 3,747 3,948 +5% 1,703 1,788 +5% 8,139 8,352 +3% Epynt Hardy Speckled 3,724 3,803 +2% Jacob 6,301 6,398 +2% Southdown 4,060 4,081 +1% Lincoln Longwool 570 561 -2% Clun Forest 2,230 2,179 -2% Kerry Hill 5,659 5,463 -3% Swaledale 164,617 158,621 -4% Cotswold 862 826 -4% 775 736 -5% Soay 964 905 -6% 15,152 14,201 -6% 1,139 1,063 -7% 7,020 6,392 -9% North Ronaldsay / Orkney 546 476 -13% Shetland Mainland 5,015 4,354 -13% 1,505 1,281 -15% 1,359 1,155 -15% Hebridean 5,064 4,297 -15% 495 415 -16% Shropshire 4,042 3,172 -22% Lleyn 90,205 70,080 -22% 4,401 3,410 -23% Balwen 1,080 718 -34% 2,438 1,551 -36% Devon and Cornwall Longwool 908 553 -39% Llandovery Whiteface Hill 27,057 14,365 -47% 2.5 Pigs Results There were no native pig breeds that increased between 2016 and 2020. (For information on commercial pig breeding companies see Section 5) Chart 2.5a Pig Breeds decreasing by more than 10% between 2016 and 2020 (N=8) Table 2.5 Native breeds of pig and % change (in descending order of change)

Published Pig Breed Name 2016 2020 % Change

Middle White 345 341 -1% Large Black 333 319 -4% 543 498 -8% Gloucestershire Old Spots 708 636 -10% Berkshire 407 331 -19% 504 409 -19% 386 313 -19% Large White 366 291 -20% Landrace 204 142 -30% Welsh 692 457 -33% Tamworth 384 240 -38%

2.6 Goats Results There were no breeds that decreased between 2017 and 2021 Chart 2.6a Goat breeds increasing by more than 10% between 2017 and 2021 (N=5)

Table 2.6 Native breeds of goat and % change (in descending order of change)

Published Goat Breed Name 2017 2021 % Change

Cheviot (Feral) 107 642 500% Bagot 366 542 48% 1,247 1,696 36% Toggenburg 191 225 18% Saanen 210 244 16%

Section 3 – Inventory Annex

Breeds for which there is a lack of data provision for the last 3 years or more are removed from the main inventory results and instead presented here in a separate annex. If they are able to provide data again, the breed can be reinstated in the main inventory and we would like to encourage breed societies to contact us if there is anything we can do to help them provide this information. Table 3.1 Inventory Annex

Species Breeds Cattle Aubrac Fleckvieh Kerry Meuse Rhine Issel (MRI) Swedish Red and White Wagyu Water Buffalo Sheep Easy Care Ile De France Meatlinc Roussin Vendeen / British Vendeen Goats Arapawa / British Arapawa Cashmere Pygmy Horses American Miniature Horse American Quarter Horse Camargue / British Camargue Fjord Horse Friesian Horse Lipizzaner Scottish Sports Horse [1] Sport Pony [1] Notes: 1. Breeds to be removed from inventory

Section 4 – Cryogenic Material

To help ensure the long-term survival of pedigree breeds, genetic material can be kept in cryogenic storage. This process freezes both semen and embryos so that they can be used in the future for breeding purposes. Due to technical difficulties, scientific limitation and costs, storage of embryos is less common than semen. Cryogenic material is held as both a public asset and by organisations for commercial purposes. We are primarily interested in the material stored as a public asset. Given the importance of cryogenic material for the long-term survival of pedigree breeds we are building our capacity to collect and publish reliable estimates. Data were collected this year for the first time on the numbers of donors and samples for both semen and embryos. The data received to date is only partially complete, so we are currently unable to publish reliable estimates. Further work will be done to improve the data collection process and we intend to publish results at some point in the future. Of the Breeds At Risk (BAR), over 80% of cattle, horse, pig and sheep breeds have frozen semen stored. No horse or pig BAR breeds have any embryos stored and only 20% of Goat and 40% of Cattle BAR breeds have embryos stored.

Section 5 – Notes relating to specific species and breeds

Species/Breed Notes

Cattle British Friesian (Origi- The Original population is defined as cattle with at least nal) 93.75% purity. Excludes the Original Population and Northern Dairy Short- Dairy Shorthorn horns as these are reported separately. Sheep From 2020 this breed is now recognised as two separately Badger Face Welsh recorded registered breeds: Torddu Badger Face and Torwen Badger Face. An extensively managed hill breeds of sheep so no individual Black Welsh Mountain registrations data are available. The number of female registrations relates to the numbers of Border Leicester gimmers registered, not ewe lambs. 2016 data was estimated by averaging the 2015 and 2017 data. An extensively managed hill breeds of sheep so no individual Brecknock Hill Cheviot registrations data are available. An extensively managed hill breeds of sheep so no individual registrations data are available. Low levels of registrations in 2002 (and subsequent low breeding populations in 2003/04) were caused by the Foot & Mouth outbreak (standstill rules made it difficult to move rams, Lincoln Longwool rearing lambs was difficult during this time). Lincolnshire was badly hit by F&M and this is a highly regional breed. This breed registers animals the year after birth so the 2002 data relates to the 2001 births. An extensively managed hill breeds of sheep so no individual North Country Cheviot registrations data are available. An extensively managed hill breeds of sheep so no individual Romney registrations data are available. An extensively managed hill breeds of sheep so no individual registrations data are available. An extensively managed hill breeds of sheep so no individual South Country Cheviot registrations data are available. South Wales Mountain An extensively managed hill breeds of sheep so no individual (Nelson type) registrations data are available. The spike in 2014 was caused by changing to the Grassroots Suffolk Sheep data source, which gives a more accurate representation of the breed statistics. Figures for 2015 and 2016 have been averaged across the Teeswater two years as staff problems meant that 2015 figures were de- flated and 2016 inflated. Pigs The UK’s commercial breeding base of some 500K sows is supported by breeding companies operating closed breeding programmes licenced by Defra. These companies represent 85% of the genetic resources for pig production in the UK. They are also linked into international breeding programmes and are a source of genetics for breeding programmes around the world. For reasons of commercial confidentiality, details of their populations are not published however information on their breeding lines and programmes can be found on the FANGR website: Breeding operations approved to maintain breeding registers for hybrid breeding pigs (publishing.service.gov.uk)

This breed first appeared in the UK when a small number of Mangalitza pigs were imported from Austria in 2007. Goats Arapawa 2012 breeding female estimates are only based on Arapawa female registrations in 2012 (the only data available). Data are directly supplied from the researchers based on a Census carried out each year. Sexes are not distinguished so the number of female/male registrations are estimated as half each of the total kids and yearlings. As the herd has uncon- trolled mating, the number of active sires is not known. The Cheviot (Feral) breeding female population is given as number of dams that year as estimates from the Census has shown to be inaccu- rate due to differences in definition. The breeding population in 2016 is much lower due to rehoming of animals to a wide range of locations in order to reduce the size of the herd in their home area. The number of female registrations relates to the number of Yorkshire Dairy Goats females that have been born and added to the herd register. Horses Only UK born, pure bred pedigree registration types have been included (i.e. at least 3 or 4 generations of purebred American Quarter Horse pedigree). No grading up or cross bred animals are included in these figures. Figures shown are combined from the two registry authorities, the British Appaloosa Society and the Appaloosa Horse Club UK. Only UK born, pure bred pedigree registration types have Appaloosa been included (i.e. at least 3 or 4 generations of purebred pedigree). No grading up or cross bred animals are included in these figures. Data is incomplete. Work is being done to improve coverage Caspian in future to give a truer picture of the breed statistics. Only UK born, pure bred pedigree registration types have been included (i.e. at least 3 or 4 generations of purebred Donkeys pedigree). No grading up or cross bred animals are included in these figures. Only UK born, pure bred pedigree registration types have been included (i.e. at least 3 or 4 generations of purebred Irish Draught pedigree). No grading up or cross bred animals are included in these figures. Only UK born, pure bred pedigree registration types have been included (i.e. at least 3 or 4 generations of purebred Scottish Sports Horse pedigree). No grading up or cross bred animals are included in these figures.

Section 6 – About these statistics

Background The UK has one of the richest native Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR) populations in the world and the importance of FAnGR has been recognised at both international and UK levels. Because of this, a commitment was made under national and global biodiversity strategies to establish an annual inventory to show how breed populations are changing over time. The inventory was set up by Defra in 2013 to deliver that commitment and the inventory is steadily increasing in scope and coverage each year as it becomes established. Once the trends become apparent from the inventory, it enables decisions to be made to safeguard UK biodiversity and to help future-proof UK farming. The results build on the findings from the 2012 “UK Country Report on Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR)” and are a collaborative effort between the national Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR) Expert Committee, Defra and the Devolved Administrations who work together to support the conservation and sustainable use of UK FAnGR. The inventory complements the committee’s other monitoring efforts and the work of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust on conservation and protection of UK rare and native breeds of farm animals. Data Sources All the annual data is reported through either Grassroots Systems Ltd., the British Pig Association or the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Between them, we receive annual data from around 80% of breeds (182 out of 233 total breeds) and which accounts for around 90% of native breeds (114 out of 129). Coverage has been steadily increasing since the annual inventory was first developed in 2013. Breed societies have given their permission for these companies to supply the data every year for this exercise. Any breed-specific exceptions to this coverage are detailed in the 'Definitions & Breed notes' section. The pig data on numbers of pedigree breeding sows (with the exception of the British Lop and KuneKune) are sourced from the Bloodline Census, an annual exercise carried out by the British Pig Association (results are available on the British Pigs website). This Census also collects data on the number of members keeping registered pigs. Data for all other breeds is collected via a survey on a three-yearly basis. Questionnaires are emailed or posted and non-respondents are contacted several times to encourage response. Priority is given to gathering comprehensive data from native breeds. It is made clear to participating breed societies in advance that all data supplied will be published (as it is all collected at the aggregate level). Therefore, there are no confidentiality issues around the data. Some breed societies already publish this information in their flock/ herd books. Data characteristics The following data characteristics are collected from the inventory for all species:- Characteristic Definition Only includes fully pure-bred, pedigree registered, UK born Female registrations animals which were registered (not born) in the year Only includes fully pure-bred, pedigree registered, UK born Male registrations animals which were registered (not born) in the year Pedigree dams of fully registered animals in the year. Ex- Dams cludes dams which had offspring which were not registered. Pedigree sires of fully registered animals in the year. Ex- Sires cludes sires which had offspring which were not registered. Number of active pedigree herds/flocks which registered pedi- Breeding Herds gree offspring in the specific year.

The following data characteristics are calculated using the inventory data. Breeding female population Species Breeds Multiplier Cattle All 3.52 Sheep All 2.41 Goats All 5.16 Pigs KuneKune & British Lop 2.7

A key data characteristic is the size of the pedigree breeding female population. The actual number of these animals is not always directly available from breed societies as the databases are not always completely up to date. Therefore, estimates are made of this key measure by multiplying the average number of pedigree female registrations over the previous three complete years by multipliers defined for each species (see Table below). The multiplier is calculated using historic data on the ratio of the number of adult females in a breed to the number of female registrations in a year. Note: Due to the fact that this estimate is based on the 3-year average of the female registrations it cannot be accurately calculated if data is unavailable for any of the 3 years. As a result there are generally fewer years where data area available for this parameter compared to the other characteristics. Effective population The effective population size (Ne) for each breed in the inventory is calculated using Sewell Wright's formula. The effective population size indicates the genetic diversity within the breed, by accounting for the total number of animals in a population and the relative numbers of male and female parents (sires and dams). A low effective population size signifies a greater likelihood of inbreeding and a higher risk of loss of genetic diversity. An effective population of 50 is set as a threshold for concern by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. For further details see the JNCC bio-diversity indicator Technical background document: http://jncc.de- fra.gov.uk/page-4240 The formula for calculating Effective population is:- 퐸푓푓푒푐푡푖푣푒 푝표푝푢푙푎푡푖표푛 = 4푥(푁표. 푠푖푟푒푠 푥 푁표. 푑푎푚푠)/(푁표. 푠푖푟푒푠 + 푁표. 푑푎푚푠) Breed Status Breeds can have NBAR (Native breed at risk) or BAR (Breed at risk) status. This status is determined by the number of registered breeding females and breeds are included on the NBAR and BAR when their populations drop below specified thresholds. The thresholds for each species are as follows: NBAR Species Thresholds Cattle < 7500 Equines < 5000 Goats < 10000 Pigs < 15000 Sheep < 10000 Poultry <25000

BAR

Species Thresholds Cattle < 3000 Equines < 3000 Goats < 3000 Pigs < 1500 Sheep < 3000 Poultry <1000

Further information can be found on the FAnGR collection page FAnGR resources for farmers and livestock breeders - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Quality Assurance For Quality Assurance reasons, results are shared in advance of publication to members of the FAnGR committee. Revisions If any revisions are required to past data we will update the published results as early as possible and provide information about these revisions in the Excel dataset. Data Uses 1. Enhance knowledge of population size and prevent the loss of breeds 2. Support strategic planning for the sustainable utilisation of animal genetic resources 3. Improve priority setting for conservation programmes 4. Enhance knowledge of cross-border genetic linkages 5. Raise public awareness 6. Reporting obligations • 2011 Biodiversity Strategy. • UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) “Global Plan of Action” • UN Convention on Biological Diversity “Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011- 2020” and the Aichi biodiversity goals and targets. The UK biodiversity indica- tors are used to report on progress towards meeting these goals: Animal ge- netic resources - effective population size of Native Breeds at Risk • Input to the European Farm Animal Biodiversity Information System (EFABIS) and FAO Global Information System (DAD-IS) to monitor Farm Animal Biodi- versity across Europe and globally. The FAO data links all countries into the FAO Global Strategy for the Management of Farm Animal Genetic Resources.

Further resources • British Pig Association • Full results from the Breed Inventory • 2012 UK Country report • FAnGR policy information • Research report into predicting the number of breeding females based on registration data • UK biodiversity indicator – animal genetic resources: effective population size of native breeds at risk