The farm is basking in the warmth of summer. Field margins are a blast of colourful wildflowers and the soundtrack of the season is the constant hum of a distant combine harvester working its way across the landscape. The most important part of the year for arable farmers is in full swing and soon the crops will be safely gathered in.
Meanwhile, on sheep farms up and down the country, shearing is now just a memory and plans are already being made for tupping, when the ram is put to the ewes. But for owners of one of Britain’s historic rare breeds, the outlook is far less sunny. The number of Leicester Longwool sheep has dropped so dramatically that there’s now a warning of extinction for this cherished part of our farming heritage.
Why is the Leicester Longwool so special?
Well, it was the sheep that changed farming forever, thanks to the vision of Robert Bakewell (1725–1795), the pioneer of selective breeding. He wanted a fast-growing sheep that provided the maximum meat and wool for the minimum expense. Starting with old-fashioned Leicester and Old Lincoln sheep, he put the best with the best, improving the most desirable traits from one generation to the next.
The genetics of the Leicester Longwool went on to influence many of our familiar breeds. But history and status mean nothing in the critical battle for survival. Every year a watchlist of British native breeds is published and the latest data is bad news for Bakewell’s iconic sheep variety. It’s been moved to the most urgent ‘Priority’ category after a 29% fall in the number of females producing pedigree offspring and a decline in genetic diversity.
What is a Manx Loaghtan?
It's a similar story for another of Britain’s unique and characterful breeds of sheep, but this one is about as far removed from a Leicester Longwool as it is possible to get. The Manx Loaghtan is a primitive short-woolled breed, which looks more like a deer than a sheep: small and rangy with a reddish-brown fleece, face and legs. They originally came from the hills of the Isle of Man where the wild winter storms and poor grazing produced a self-reliant, hard-as-nails kind of animal.
Unlike woollier domesticated breeds, primitive sheep don’t need to be sheared. Instead, they shed their fleece naturally, leaving tufts of wool snagged on thorns and thistles, and hanging off them in untidy strands. But their stand-out feature has to be an impressive and fearsome-looking set of horns. Both ewes and rams are equipped with two, four and occasionally six horns that keep growing throughout their lives. It makes them look like a living breathing hat stand.
The first pedigree Manx Loaghtan to be introduced on our farm in the Cotswolds was a four-horned ram lamb in the 1970s. And he arrived in style. He was flown from the Isle of Man in a private prop plane piloted by my dad’s business partner, John Neave. The new arrival had the task of starting a purebred flock at the Farm Park, which I’m proud to say is still here today.
But overall, like the Longwool, Manx Loaghtan numbers are going in the wrong direction. It’s not a lost cause, though, as the fortunes of other endangered breeds have been turned round in the past – the support of the public is key. I’d urge you to help give these breeds a ‘job’ to do and create a market for their products – it could be that simple. Buy the wool, eat the meat and save the breed.
Read more of Adam's columns
- 160 woolly pigs were released on a Scottish farm – and they’re disrupting the landscape in a very significant way
- BBC Countryfile's Adam Henson reveals new farming business plan – and it involves something that is hundreds of years old
- ‘Scratch Gloucestershire and find Rome’ – from sheep to byways, here’s how the Romans changed Britain’s countryside forever
- Charles Dickens, Hollywood and Adam Henson: The surprising history behind London’s Smithfield Market
Top image: a Manx Loaghtan sheep. Credit: Getty
