A new report on the promotion of rare and heritage breeds in Ireland has called for the establishment of a centre for genetic conservation and research on native Irish breeds.
A lack of funding and resources, as well as non-existent long-term planning, have contributed to a situation where native Irish breeds are now in a “perilous state”, according to the report.
The report by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Fingal County Council recommends a centre in a commercial setting to put rare breeds on a equal footing with other commercial breeds.
Newbridge House and Farm, as an “Irish hub for native rare breeds”, should partner with the centre and become a model outreach centre and a criticial source for rare breed genetics, the report states.
Rare breeds strategy
The creation of a national rare breeds secretariat to oversee the delivery of a ten-year national rare breeds strategy has also been recommended by the NPWS and the council.
Calls from the public for support of heritage breeds often adopt the argument of “moral and ethical justification” or heritage loss as opposed to the practical and cost-effective arguments, the report states.
Heritage breeds often make use of both prime agricultural land and marginal land that cannot be used for other forms of agriculture. They adapt to both fertile farmlands and harsh environments, which often requires less intervention.
Integrating native rare breeds into a visitor’s interaction with the Connemara National Park, which holds Irish rare heritage breeds, would also protect and promote the breeds, the report states.
Connemara National Park
Connemara National Park currently manages a range of farm breeds, and promotes the protection of the near-extinct Cladoir sheep, with almost all the remaining population currently within the national park.
Native to Connemara, the Cladoir sheep have been functionally extinct as a separate breed since the 1990s, according to the report.
In 2020, 65 sheep from the national park had DNA analysed, of which 56 had a significant amount of unique DNA attributed to the Cladoir breed, with the remaining nine having a smaller amount.
While all Cladoir sheep currently involved in a conservation project are owned by the NPWS, it is intended that ownership would be transferred to farmers interested in conserving the breed.
The report states that despite a large collection of rare breeds at Newbridge House and Farm – including Kerry cows, Galway sheep, and Tamworth pigs – there is very little information about them, and they are not promoted as a key part of the visitor attraction.