Official Statistics

UK Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR) breed inventory results 2023 statistics release

Updated 15 October 2024

The Farm Animal Genetic Resources inventory has received its annual updates based on data provided by the breed societies. This includes inventory data for 2023, estimated breeding female population figures for 2024 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 page. 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 cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats.

Key Results

Key results table - Number of native breeds by change in female population between 2020 and 2024

Number of breeds	Cattle	Goats	Sheep	Pigs
Large increase (above 25%)	5	2	7	0
Small increase (above or equal to 5%)	7	0	12	0
No change (between 5% and -5%)	6	1	10	2
Small decrease (below or equal to -5%)	10	1	14	6
Large decrease (below -25%)	2	0	7	3
Total	30	4	50	11

Notes:

1. Pig data compares figures for 2019 and 2023 as census data is available.
2. Only includes native breeds with data for both 2020 and 2024 (2019 and 2023 in the case of pig breeds).

Between 2020 and 2024:

• The majority of native cattle and sheep are showing a small increase or a small decrease in population size.
• The majority of native goat breeds are showing a large increase in population size.

Between 2019 and 2023:

• The majority of native pig breeds are showing a small decrease in population size.

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 survey. 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 estimates are calculated are provided in Section 6. Note that the female breeding population estimate is calculated using the 3-year average of the number of female registrations and as such, the 2024 estimate is calculated using inventory data for 2021, 2022 and 2023.

The breeding female population figures for pigs except for the British Lop and Kune Kune are actual census figures for live animals rather than estimates based on registrations. For this reason, the population census figures appear in the year in which the data was collected as they represent the actual live population at that point in time.

All data including inventory data, estimates and breed status are published separately from this Statistics Notice on the same collection page :- UK farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR): breed inventory results

The dataset provides a timeseries from 2000 to 2023/ 2024 for cattle, sheep, pig, goat, horse and camelid breeds. 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.

Section 2 – Key trends in breeding female population estimates

2.1 Introduction

This section focuses on the derived measure of the estimated breeding female population for native breeds. Details of how this is estimate is calculated, and a definition of native breeds can be found in Section 6. No horse data are available as a multiplier to estimate the female breeding size is currently under development.

Table 2.1 shows the total number of breeds for each species broken down by breed status included in the inventory. The total number of native breeds in the inventory are higher than those found in the Section 2 due to missing data for a number of breeds.

Table 2.1 - Total number of breeds by breed status for each species

Number of breeds	Cattle	Sheep	Pigs	Goats
Total	53	87	16	14
Native	30	61	11	5
NBAR	24	48	11	5
BAR	14	29	11	5

2.1a Data presentation

The data presented in section 2.2 – 2.6 show the estimated female population sizes for the following target years: 2020 and 2024 for cattle, sheep and goats, and 2019 and 2023 for pigs. In sections 2.3 – 2.6, the data are presented in a barchart and table displaying the percentage change in population between the target years for native breeds showing an increase or decrease of more than 5% (for more information on the methodology, please see Section 6). A threshold change of 5% within a 5-year timeframe was chosen to facilitate the early identification of breeds with declining populations as breeds of concern.

Where there are incomplete data in the target years, the breeds have been excluded from the analysis. If data are supplied subsequent to this publication, published results will be updated as early as possible.

2.2 Key Trends - Summary of results for Cattle, Sheep, Pigs and Goats

Based on the estimated number of breeding females, the change in population size for native breeds between 2020 and 2024 is shown in table 2.2

Table 2.2 Change in estimated breeding female population between 2020 and 2024 by number of native breeds

Number of breeds	Cattle	Goats	Sheep	Pigs
Large increase (above 25%)	5	2	7	0
Small increase (above or equal to 5%)	7	0	12	0
No change (between 5% and -5%)	6	1	10	2
Small decrease (below or equal to -5%)	10	1	14	6
Large decrease (below -25%)	2	0	7	3
Total	30	4	50	11

Notes:

1. Increase or decrease is by more than 5% otherwise it is classed as no change.
2. Pig data compares figures for 2019 and 2023 as census data is available.
3. Only includes native breeds with data for both 2020 and 2024 (2019 and 2023 in the case of pig breeds).

The majority of native cattle and sheeps breeds are showing a small increase or small decrease in population size between 2020 and 2024. As in previous years, the native pig breeds show an overall decreasing trend in population size while the population size of most native goat breeds are increasing.

Annual trends in native farm animal populations should be understood in the context of changes in the general UK livestock populations. Please see the livestock population statistics collection page for data on livestock populations in England and UK.

2.3 Cattle Results

Chart and Table 2.3 Native cattle breeds with estimated breeding female populations increasing or decreasing by more than 5% between 2020 and 2024

Published Breed Name	% Change
Vaynol	75%
Chillingham	65%
Northern Dairy Shorthorn	37%
Whitebred Shorthorn	37%
Luing	30%
Irish Moiled	17%
Lincoln Red	13%
Beef Shorthorn	11%
Devon (Red Ruby Devon)	11%
Galloway	9%
British Friesian	7%
British White	5%
Red Poll	-7%
Sussex	-7%
Longhorn	-8%
Hereford	-10%
White Park	-10%
Guernsey	-11%
Dexter	-18%
South Devon	-18%
Aberdeen-Angus	-20%
Ayrshire	-23%
Gloucester	-27%
Welsh Black	-28%

All the data which forms Chart 2.3 can be found in Table 5.1 in Section 5.

2.4 Sheep Results

Chart and Table 2.4 Native sheep breeds with estimated breeding female populations increasing or decreasing by more than 5% between between 2020 and 2024

Published Breed Name	% Change
Romney	212%
Devon Closewool	60%
Derbyshire Gritstone	54%
Poll Dorset	36%
Balwen	29%
Ryeland (including Coloured Ryeland)	27%
Dorset Horn	25%
Lincoln Longwool	22%
Badger Face Welsh (Torwen)	15%
Suffolk Sheep	15%
Border Leicester	14%
Hampshire Down	12%
Oxford Down	12%
Kerry Hill	11%
Hebridean	10%
Soay	8%
Bluefaced Leicester	6%
Manx Loaghtan	6%
Badger Face Welsh (Torddu)	5%
Leicester Longwool	5%
North Ronaldsay / Orkney	-5%
Dorset Down	-7%
Southdown	-7%
Shropshire	-8%
Swaledale	-9%
Teeswater	-9%
Castlemilk Moorit	-10%
Clun Forest	-12%
Greyface Dartmoor	-12%
Lonk	-14%
Devon and Cornwall Longwool	-16%
Cotswold	-17%
Exmoor Horn	-19%
Whitefaced Woodland	-22%
Lleyn	-23%
Welsh Mountain	-26%
Llanwenog	-27%
Cambridge	-30%
Wiltshire Horn	-32%
Shetland Mainland	-43%
Hill Radnor	-46%
Beulah Speckled Face	-47%

Notes

• 1. Swaledale - caveats apply, please see notes in Section 3.

All the data which forms Chart 2.4 can be found in Table 5.2 in Section 5.

2.5 Pigs Results

Chart and Table 2.5 Native pig breeds with estimated breeding female populations increasing or decreasing by more than 5% between 2019 and 2023

Published Breed Name	% Change
Berkshire	-6%
British Saddleback	-8%
Large Black	-8%
Gloucestershire Old Spots	-17%
Tamworth	-19%
Oxford Sandy and Black	-21%
Large White	-36%
Landrace	-39%
Welsh	-50%

All the data which forms Chart 2.5 can be found in Table 5.3 in Section 5.

2.6 Goats Results

Chart 2.6 Native goat breeds with estimated breeding female populations increasing or decreasing by more than 5% between 2020 and 2024

Published Breed Name	% Change
Toggenburg	46%
Golden Guernsey	25%
Saanen	-8%

All the data which forms Chart 2.6 can be found in Table 5.4 in Section 5.

Section 3 – Notes relating to specific species and breeds

These breed notes provide specific context for data in the inventory tables and Section 2 of this statistics notice.

Breed	Notes
Cattle
Merged Breeds	A decision has been made by Defra to merge original populations with their commercial populations for inventory recording. This decision was made to mitigate circumstances in which the original populations were recorded twice, in their own figures, and in the figures provided by commercial populations, which would give an inaccurate view of true numbers.
Aberdeen Angus	This includes Aberdeen Angus and Aberdeen Angus (original population)
British Friesian	This includes British Friesian and British Friesian (original population)
Dairy Shorthorn	Excludes Northern Dairy Shorthorns as these are reported separately. Includes the Dairy Shorthorn (original population).
Hereford	This includes Hereford Traditional/Original.
Sheep
Badger Face Welsh	From 2020 this breed is now recognised as two separately recorded registered breeds: Torddu Badger Face and Torwen Badger Face.
Composite Breeds	Since 2021, we have included several composite sheep breeds in the inventory (namely the Aberblack, Aberdale, Aberfield, Abermax, Abertek, Highlander and Primera in addition to the previously recorded British Milksheep, Cambridge and Exlana). Sheep populations are dynamic, with new composite breeds of sheep being developed from existing genetic resources all the time to create maternal and terminal sire composite breeding lines.
Hill breeds with incomplete data	The following extensively managed sheep breeds are recognised as important genetic resources. However at present we have no means of recording actual numbers as extensive management systems make pedigree recording difficult.
Beulah Speckled Face	Incomplete data since 2017.
Black Welsh Mountain	Incomplete data.
Brecknock Hill Cheviot	No data available.
Herdwick	Male registration data and number of active flocks data available. Females not individually registered.
North Country Cheviot	Male registration data available. Females not individually registered.
Rough Fell	Male registration data and number of active flocks data available. Females not individually registered.
Scottish Blackface	No data available.
Shetland Island	No data available since 2014.
South Country Cheviot	Male registration data and number of active flocks data available. Females not individually registered.
South Wales Mountain (Nelson type)	No data available.
Swaledale	Male registration data available. Female population data is census data.
Welsh Hill Speckled Face	Number of active flocks data available. Females not individually registered.
Pigs
All breeds except Kune Kune and British Lop	The breeding female populations of all the pig breeds in the inventory except for the British Lop and Kune Kune are actual census figures for live animals rather than estimates based on registrations. For this reason the population census figures appear in year in which the data was collected as they represent the actual live population at that point in time.
Commercial Breeds	The UK’s commercial breeding base of some 340K 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 UKGLE website: Recognised breeding operations for hybrid pigs
Goats
Cheviot (Feral)	The data received for Cheviot goats has not been published due to new methodology. The UKGLE committee will be reviewing the data and when a decision has been made a revision of the inventory including the Cheviot goats will be published.
Yorkshire Dairy Goats	The number of female registrations relates to the number of females that have been born and added to the herd register.
Horses
Caspian	Data is incomplete. Work is being done to improve coverage in future to give a truer picture of the breed statistics.
Irish Draught	Only UK born, pure-bred pedigree registration types have been included (i.e. at least 3 or 4 generations of pure-bred pedigree).  No grading up or cross-bred animals are included in these figures.

Section 4 - Removed Breeds

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. 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 the UKGLE secretariat ([email protected]) if there is anything we can do to help them provide this information.

Table 4.1 Removed Breeds

Species	Breeds
Cattle	Aubrac
	Fleckvieh
	Normande
	Swedish Red and White
	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
	Sport Pony
Camelid	Camels
	Guanacos

Section 5 - Data Appendix

Table 5.1 Native cattle breeds and % change in estimated breeding female population (in descending order of change)

Published Breed Name	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	5 Year % Change
Vaynol	20	16	22	26	35	+75%
Chillingham	23	23	27	29	38	+65%
Northern Dairy Shorthorn	103	115	117	135	141	+37%
Whitebred Shorthorn	317	381	447	481	434	+37%
Luing	6609	8044	8456	9293	8616	+30%
Irish Moiled	551	587	555	594	644	+17%
Lincoln Red	2451	2439	2667	2847	2777	+13%
Beef Shorthorn	11855	11760	12072	12657	13212	+11%
Devon (Red Ruby Devon)	7696	7669	8085	8555	8550	+11%
Galloway	2924	3085	3137	3250	3195	+9%
British Friesian	12155	11990	12807	13399	13063	+7%
British White	1072	1117	1124	1088	1129	+5%
Jersey	22787	24864	25251	24827	23690	+4%
Belted Galloway	3533	4145	3985	3959	3555	+1%
Dairy Shorthorn	5191	5104	5372	5477	5179	0%
Highland	3064	3161	3001	3023	3060	0%
Shetland	683	676	651	712	668	-2%
White Galloway	191	239	214	249	185	-3%
Red Poll	2783	2702	2666	2581	2577	-7%
Sussex	3962	3966	4068	3867	3690	-7%
Longhorn	4529	4111	4111	4144	4185	-8%
Hereford	18874	19327	19089	18201	17005	-10%
White Park	747	744	724	740	670	-10%
Guernsey	2613	2682	2452	2570	2330	-11%
Dexter	6011	5814	5509	5113	4947	-18%
South Devon	11445	10797	10067	9969	9388	-18%
Aberdeen-Angus	35775	37347	35545	32669	28647	-20%
Ayrshire	20347	18749	18062	17053	15648	-23%
Gloucester	431	460	418	375	313	-27%
Welsh Black	5504	4629	4226	3870	3978	-28%

Table 5.2 Native sheep breeds and % change in estimated breeding female populations (in descending order of change)

Published Breed Name	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	5 Year % Change
Romney	657	789	1266	1551	2048	+212%
Devon Closewool	1219	1281	1700	1869	1949	+60%
Derbyshire Gritstone	732	767	845	933	1126	+54%
Poll Dorset	17035	20272	20827	24155	23125	+36%
Balwen	776	718	881	904	1000	+29%
Ryeland (including Coloured Ryeland)	5824	6498	7208	7574	7390	+27%
Dorset Horn	1361	1628	1609	1840	1703	+25%
Lincoln Longwool	553	561	631	647	675	+22%
Badger Face Welsh (Torwen)	1245	1229	1325	1425	1431	+15%
Suffolk Sheep	14266	14201	15793	16282	16347	+15%
Border Leicester	1399	1554	1602	1531	1598	+14%
Hampshire Down	3947	3948	4075	4379	4430	+12%
Oxford Down	1093	1063	1111	1141	1223	+12%
Kerry Hill	5275	5463	5891	5815	5847	+11%
Hebridean	4524	4297	4414	4736	4977	+10%
Soay	896	905	1018	997	965	+8%
Bluefaced Leicester	20777	20822	20754	22947	22126	+6%
Manx Loaghtan	721	736	785	807	763	+6%
Badger Face Welsh (Torddu)	3812	3887	4059	4158	3985	+5%
Leicester Longwool	595	660	703	699	627	+5%
Epynt Hardy Speckled	3662	3803	3788	3842	3810	+4%
Wensleydale	1017	1038	1056	1113	1058	+4%
White Face Dartmoor	2167	2890	3037	3104	2260	+4%
Dalesbred	9087	8352	8369	8359	9165	+1%
Norfolk Horn	1020	1155	1162	1173	1031	+1%
Jacob	6060	6398	6473	6411	5996	-1%
Boreray	460	504	523	522	446	-3%
Portland	1169	1178	1186	1151	1122	-4%
North Ronaldsay / Orkney	500	476	496	491	475	-5%
Dorset Down	1855	1788	1812	1710	1720	-7%
Southdown	3872	4081	3979	4001	3595	-7%
Shropshire	3213	3172	3263	3432	2971	-8%
Swaledale	161211	158621	152989	150849	146229	-9%
Teeswater	984	941	963	915	899	-9%
Castlemilk Moorit	962	1032	1092	1041	868	-10%
Clun Forest	2179	2179	2154	2141	1909	-12%
Greyface Dartmoor	2833	3079	2440	2511	2494	-12%
Lonk	1697	1551	1477	1482	1458	-14%
Devon and Cornwall Longwool	854	553	549	546	716	-16%
Cotswold	833	826	801	752	692	-17%
Exmoor Horn	6684	6392	6096	5804	5447	-19%
Whitefaced Woodland	464	415	412	391	361	-22%
Lleyn	75150	70080	67771	65116	57740	-23%
Welsh Mountain	892	922	843	818	659	-26%
Llanwenog	2029	2420	2470	2052	1483	-27%
Cambridge	277	NA	195	195	195	-30%
Wiltshire Horn	4338	3410	3151	3000	2943	-32%
Shetland Mainland	4931	4354	3680	3120	2818	-43%
Hill Radnor	1380	1174	913	680	744	-46%
Beulah Speckled Face	26840	NA	NA	NA	14277	-47%

Notes:

1. Some native breeds have been excluded from this analysis due to missing data in the target years. However partial data for these breeds are still available in the inventory dataset. For context on missing data for extensively managed hill sheep breeds, please see Section 3.

Table 5.3 Native pig breeds and % change in estimated breeding female populations (in descending order of change)

Published Breed Name	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	5 Year % Change
British Lop	290	313	340	338	294	+1%
Middle White	321	341	349	351	307	-4%
Berkshire	305	331	363	310	288	-6%
British Saddleback	378	409	414	368	347	-8%
Large Black	316	319	354	307	292	-8%
Gloucestershire Old Spots	568	636	612	577	472	-17%
Tamworth	295	240	239	270	239	-19%
Oxford Sandy and Black	451	498	473	395	356	-21%
Large White	399	291	289	255	257	-36%
Landrace	183	142	121	109	111	-39%
Welsh	588	457	435	323	296	-50%

Notes:

1. Pig data compares figures for 2019 and 2023 as census data are available.

Table 5.4 Native goat breeds and % change in estimated breeding female populations (in descending order of change)

Published Breed Name	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	5 Year % Change
Toggenburg	234	225	267	342	341	+46%
Golden Guernsey	1520	1696	1882	1921	1902	+25%
Bagot	552	542	566	564	556	+1%
Saanen	251	244	234	248	232	-8%

Notes:

1, Some native breeds have been excluded from this analysis due to missing data in the target years. However partial data for this breed are still available in the inventory dataset.

Section 6 – About these statistics

6.1 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. 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 livestock 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 UK Genetics for Livestock and Equines Committee (UKGLE), 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.

6.2 Data Sources

All the annual data is reported through either Grassroots Systems Ltd., the British Pig Association or the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Coverage has been steadily increasing since the annual inventory was first developed in 2013. The response rate for the 2023 inventory was 93% (210 breeds). 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 are collected annually via a survey. Questionnaires are emailed 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.

6.3 Data characteristics

6.3.1 Inventory data

The following data characteristics are collected from the inventory survey for all species.

Characteristic	Definition
Female registrations	Only includes fully pure-bred, pedigree registered, UK born animals which were registered (not born) in the year.
Male registrations	Only includes fully pure-bred, pedigree registered, UK born animals which were registered (not born) in the year.
Dams	Pedigree dams of fully registered animals in the year. Excludes dams which had offspring which were not registered.
Sires	Pedigree sires of fully registered animals in the year. Excludes sires which had offspring which were not registered.
Breeding Herds	Number of active pedigree herds/flocks which registered pedigree offspring in the specific year.

6.3.2 Population estimates

The following data characteristics are population estimates which are calculated using the inventory data.

Breeding female population

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 up to date. For Cattle, Sheep, Goats and two Pig breeds (British Lop and Kune Kune) 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.

The female population figures for pig breeds other than the British Lop and Kune Kune are actual census figures for live animals rather than estimates based on registrations. For this reason, the population census figures appear in the year in which the data was collected as they represent the actual live population at that point in time.

Currently, no data are available for horse female population sizes, however a multiplier is under development.

Species	Breeds	Multiplier
Cattle	All	3.52
Sheep	All	2.41
Goats	All	5.16
Pigs	KuneKune & British Lop	2.70

Effective population

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.

The effective population size for each breed in the inventory is calculated using Sewell Wright’s formula:

Effective population = 4 x (No. sires x No. dams)/ (No. sires + No. dams)

6.4 Breed Status

Native Breeds

For a breed to be considered native, the breed should satisfy all of the following criteria.

• The breed satisfies the criteria for inclusion in the UK National Breed Inventory.
• Breed history documents the breed origin within the UK (including from an amalgamation of native breeds) and the UK has formed the primary environment for the development of the breed.
• Breed history documents its presence in the UK in its current adapted form for a qualifying period of at least 40 years or 6 generations whichever is the longer period of time.
• Not more than 20% of the genetic contributions come from animals born outside the UK (other than those imported for an approved conservation project) in any one generation for the last 40 years plus 6 generations.

NBAR and BAR Breeds

Breeds can also 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:

Species	NBAR Thresholds	BAR Thresholds
Cattle	< 7500	< 3000
Equines	< 5000	< 3000
Goats	< 10000	< 3000
Pigs	< 15000	< 1500
Sheep	< 10000	< 3000
Poultry	< 25000	< 1000

Further information can be found on the FAnGR collection page FAnGR resources for farmers and livestock breeders - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

6.5 Quality Assurance

For quality assurance reasons, results are shared in advance of publication to members of the UKGLE committee.

6.6 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 dataset.

6.7 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:

• 6a - 2011 England Biodiversity Strategy.
• 6b - UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) “Global Plan of Action”.
• 6c - UN Convention on Biological Diversity “Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020” and the Aichi biodiversity goals and targets. The UK biodiversity indicators are used to report on progress towards meeting these goals: Animal genetic resources - effective population size of Native Breeds at Risk.
• 6d - Input to the European Farm Animal Biodiversity Information System (EFABIS) and FAO Global Information System (DAD-IS) to monitor Farm Animal Biodiversity 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:

• Livestock Population Statistics
• British Pig Association
• 2012 UK Country report
• UKGLE 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

What you need to know about this release

Contact details

Responsible statistician: Sam Beale, Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol BS1 5AH.

Tel: +44 (0)7386 658427 Email: [email protected]

An Official Statistics publication

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Feedback

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. Please send any feedback to: [email protected] or alternatively please complete this short survey.

Acknowledgements

The UKGLE 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 livestock statistics 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 2025 which will include data for 2024.