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THE STATUS OF TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH ANIMAL BREEDS AND PLANT VARIETIES AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR BIODIVERSITY

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

CONTEXT

1.1 Within the farming sector there is a huge variation within species, the great array of different crop varieties for instance, or the range of cattle breeds. Often these varieties and breeds are particular to certain locations or environments, having developed particular characteristics that make them well adapted to local conditions and climates. However for decades there has been a trend away from using this variety, in favour of a small number of breeds that perform more uniformly. In this way, just a handful of varieties and breeds now account for the majority of agricultural production in Scotland. There are instances of just c.10% remaining varieties of particular crops, the rest having been lost. For instance the seeds for some cereal varieties formerly grown in the Western Isles are now difficult to obtain. It is possible to find some farms across Scotland where traditional forms of agriculture depend on these local, specialised varieties (such as the "small barley" variety grown in Uist which can withstand particularly high soil pH levels).

1.2 Within the livestock sector, the trend has also been towards greater uniformity along with greater productivity. In the 1960's foreign breeds, particularly from continental Europe were introduced. The numbers of individuals within traditional breeds have declined to such an extent that they have been classified by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as either "minority" or "rare". Even once common breeds like Belted Galloway cattle and the Border Leicester sheep now fall into the minority category. The recent Foot and Mouth outbreak highlighted the vulnerability of some of these breeds to extinction. When the numbers of individuals are small and they are concentrated within a relatively small geographical area, the risk of entire breeds being lost is a very real one.

1.3 It is also becoming clear that certain farming practices are likely to be beneficial to the maintenance and enhancement of biodiversity. The presence of agriculture can create ecological niches and help to maintain food chains, to the benefit of wildlife. However modern breeds of livestock and varieties of crops and the associated management practices may not always be appropriate for the management of biodiversity. This is particularly true of marginal lands in the uplands. There is an increasing realisation that traditional breeds and varieties may have much to offer in terms of maintaining farming in these areas.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

1.4 This was a scoping study to evaluate the effects on Scottish biodiversity of changes in the use of traditional breeds and varieties. The overall objectives were:

The evaluation of the importance of genetic loss from the reduction in use of these breeds and varieties, for example the loss of unusual characteristics that might have been of particular local use.

An assessment of the impacts of reduction in the ability to conduct further breeding or research on rare and traditional varieties and breeds.

Identification of the loss of certain farming techniques associated with particular varieties and breeds.

An assessment of possible losses of biodiversity associated with reduction in the use of these breeds and varieties and the farming systems associated with them.

Specifically this report provides:

1. A review of relevant research.

2. A list of organisations and individuals holding relevant genetic resources or information.

3. A review of ongoing genetic conservation projects.

4. A review of rare and traditional genotypes of livestock and crops on Scottish farms including their distribution.

5. A summary of the size and complexity of the genetic resource.

6. An overview of the contribution made to biodiversity of maintaining the traditional farming systems associated with particular breeds and varieties.

7. A detailed review of the contribution made to biodiversity of one traditional crop variety (Scots Bere) and one traditional breed of livestock (Blue Grey cows).

8. Recommendations for further work, for further research, practical developments and identification of opportunities for promotion of traditional breeds and varieties associated farming systems.

METHODS

Livestock component

1.5 The livestock component of the project concentrated on cattle and sheep since these are the species where particular breeds are closely linked with particular environments. Scottish sheep and cattle breeds are classified as rare, minority or traditional. There are also many crossbreds which are associated with particular systems or environments (Table 1).

Table 1. Rare, minority and traditional breeds of sheep and cattle.

Literature Review

1.6 Part of the project involved a review of the published scientific literature. This was undertaken using standard internet based library search engines.

Population data

1.7 An important part of the project was to identify the numerical status of the different traditional breeds of cattle and sheep. This included not only rare and minority breeds, but also traditional breeds and crossbreds. With respect to sheep, there are no official records of numbers in different breeds. The British Cattle Movements Service (BCMS) provided information on breeds of cattle broken down by county boundaries. Since the BCMS has only been formed relatively recently, they were unable to provide any historical information on the trends in numbers within breeds and their geographical locations.

1.8 Some statistical information on numbers of different breeds was obtained from the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST). They were able to provide information on the minority and rare breeds. For some of the rarer breeds, this was the best source of information.

1.9 The secretaries of all the relevant breed societies were contacted and asked to provide information on the numbers of animals registered. This met with a mixed response since the information stored varies widely between societies. Some societies do not register animals and were therefore unable to provide any information, while some have excellent records dating back many years. Of those societies which do register animals, most recognised that there are significant numbers of animals which are unregistered.

1.10 In order to try to identify historical trends in the breed structure of Scottish farming, old copies of Scottish Farmer dating back to 1960 were consulted. Reports of agricultural shows and market reports were studied along with any relevant articles relating to breeds of livestock.

Genetic conservation

1.11 Dr Saffron Townsend of the RBST was consulted on matters relating to genetic conservation. She was able to provide information on current and proposed projects which RBST and others are either involved with or hope to initiate. She was also able to provide background information on the techniques of genetic conservation.

Farming systems and techniques

1.12 A workshop was held in late November 2001 to which a number of interested parties were invited (see Appendices One and Two). Those invited represented a wide body of interests including practical farmers, conservation bodies, breed societies, policy advisers and scientists. The workshop was designed to address the following issues:

How rare and traditional breeds fit into livestock systems.

How rare and traditional breeds and crops fit into mixed farming systems.

What are the issues with respect to the conservation and promotion of rare and traditional breeds?

1.13 The workshop was divided into a number of sessions to address these issues and the results of the discussions were incorporated into the report. In addition a great deal of useful information was gleaned from telephone interviews with a number of individuals. These included farmers and representatives of a number of the breed societies.

Plant varieties component

1.14 The project was progressed by literature reviews, internet searches, consulting statistical sources and speaking to local experts.

Literature review

1.15 The extensive modern literature on barley genetics, genetic diversity and the origin of cereal crops was consulted and relevant papers summarised. The scope of these studies ranges from the traditional phenotypic observation to recent papers using molecular biological techniques. Previous surveys of UK cereal agriculture were consulted and historically significant papers were scanned to identify significant features of traditional variety uses.

Statistical sources

1.16 Statistical sources were used to identify the changes in crop areas in Scotland. Apart from the major change from oats to barley the fate of minor crops such as beans was also followed. Seed production statistics were used to examine the current use of traditional cultivars.

Plant breeding

1.17 The Annual Reports of the Scottish Plant Breeding Station were consulted to place local breeding efforts in the context of changing crop use. The British Society of Plant Breeding and member companies were also consulted.

Internet searches

1.18 Internet searches were used extensively to tabulate the location of seed samples of traditional cultivars. The collections with cultivar performance data, particularly the USDA collection, were interrogated.

Consultation

1.19 Consultation with experts played a large role in the location of cereal collections and to obtain information on the local use of traditional cultivars.

Farming systems and techniques

1.20 As noted under the "Livestock component" a workshop was held and focussed on the role of traditional varieties in modern farming.

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