Why chose rare and native breed meats, dairy and other products;

• Loss of biodiversity - in the twentieth century, more than twenty native breeds of farm livestock became extinct before 1973 when the RBST (see below was formed).
• Meat - Some rare breeds may not have the conformation to suit today's mass market but they make up for it in flavour, succulence and eating quality. It will also help the conservation of rare breeds if the public seek out butchers who sell it.
  Cheese - For cheese making, the size of the fat globules is important; the smaller the globules, the better. Niche markets for specialist craft-made cheeses are developing for milk from breeds such as Gloucester and Red Poll.
  Wool - Different breeds of sheep provide different qualities and colours of wool and the RBST encourages specialised producers and marketing of products made from named rare breeds.

The RBST (www.rbst.org.uk) is the leading conservation charity working to restore Britain’s native livestock breeds to their rightful place in our countryside.  In addition to producing population statistics for all our endangered breeds, they advise, support and work with breed societies to ensure that important bloodlines and essential genetics are identified and diversity maintained.