United Kingdom Breeds at Risk Register

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IMPORTANT
Please read the following information about the Breeds at Risk Register, for details of the eligiblity criteria, and paragraphs (i) and (ii) under 'Registration Process' below, before completing the on-line registration form.


Article 15 of the European Union Council Directive 2003/85/EC on community measures for the control of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) places a responsibility on member states to establish a list of holdings where animals are kept for the purposes related to the conservation of animals that are indispensible for the survival of that breed or in other words rare breeds so that they may benefit from any special measures that may apply at the time of an FMD outbreak.

Defra, DARDNI, SEERAD and WAGEPCD* in association with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) and the British Pig Association(BPA) is compiling such a list for the following species :-
  • Cattle
  • Sheep
  • Pigs
  • Goats

  • Registration on the list is voluntary. It is however, in the owner's or keeper's own interest to register the premises where breeds at risk are kept to ensure that they can benefit from any special measures that may apply or come into force for the conservation of breeds at risk in the event of a future FMD outbreak.

    Inclusion on the Breeds at Risk Register means that any special measures prevailing in the event of an FMD outbreak to conserve breeds at risk could apply to the premises, but does not guarantee that breeds at risk on the premises would necessarily be spared. The measures would only apply to breeds at risk animals on the premises and breeds not considered to be at risk would be treated with the normal procedures that come into force at the time.

    The premises where these animals are kept are those that keep registered pedigree stock of farm animal breeds native to the United Kingdom that are susceptile to FMD. Eligible breeds are those listed in the UK country report on farm animal genetics resources 2002. The list can be found in Breeds List

    The premises must be registered in advance to become eligible for any special measures that may apply in the event of an outbreak of FMD.

    Any special provisions would only apply to those premises that hold breeding nuclei of FMD susceptible animals. The established definition of a breeding nucleus for each breed is as follows:

    Cattle:Minimum of 8 females plus 1 male or artificial insemination
    Sheep:Minimum of 16 females plus 1 male or artificial insemination
    Pigs:Minimum of 3 females plus 1 male or artificial insemination
    Goats:Minimum of 6 females plus 1 male or artificial insemination

    Eligibility criteria:
  • The breed must be listed as being rare in the UK country report.
  • The breed must be native to the UK
  • The animals must be registered with a recognised breed society
  • The premises must have a breeding nucleus equal to or exceeding the minimum numbers/population above


  • REGISTRATION PROCESS

    (i) Cattle, Sheep and Goat Breeds and British Lop Pigs
    If you are eligible and wish to register your premises as holding breeds at risk, please click on the 'Registration Form' button below to complete the online registration form. The RBST can be contacted at :

    Breeds at Risk Register
    Rare Breeds Survival Trust
    Stoneleigh Park
    Near KenilworthTelephone: 024 7669 8763/8766
    Warwickshire CV8 2LGEmail: bar@rbst.org.uk






    (ii) Pig Breeds registered with the BPA
    If your pig breeds are registered with the BPA, they will establish whether the animals are eligible to be registered and transfer your information automatically to the UK Breeds at Risk Register, provided you signed the BPA data protection policy. You do not need to complete this form. The BPA can be contacted at :

    British Pig Association
    Trumpington Mews
    40B High StreetTelephone: 01223 845100
    TrumpingtonEmail: bpa@britishpigs.org
    Cambridge CB2 2LSWeb site: www.britishpigs.org



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    *Defra - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
    DARDNI - Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland
    SEERAD - Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department
    WAGEPCD - Welsh Assembly Government Environment Planning and Countryside Department