by Quentin Morris

Created on: November 27, 2008

Even a brief looking at the Rare Breeds Survival Trust's 'Watch-list' is a chilling experience. In Britain alone, five breeds of cattle, three horse breeds, one breed of sheep and one goat breed are critically endangered. This means that there are less than 100 individuals left in existence. Countless more are classified as endangered or at risk. In Canada 30% of cattle, sheep, pig and horse breeds are rare or in decline. In America the picture is even worse, with nine cattle breeds, seven horse breeds, seven breeds of pig and four breeds of sheep all critically endangered, according to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

This is a sorry state indeed for livestock diversity. Currently on a word scale 30% of rare breeds are at risk of extinction, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Species which have taken over 12 000 years to evolve could be gone forever in as little as fifty years if steps are not taken to protect them. This is where the homesteader comes in. By investing in rare breeds you can help to reverse this trend and restore livestock diversity to the world's farms and small-holdings. Good news for the animals on the critically endangered list.

Good news for them and good news for you, too. Confucius once said that the wise man seeks to do good, the foolish man seeks only financial gain'. By investing in rare breeds you can do both, helping the world by protecting breed varieties and producing economical food for your family and your homestead farm. Investing in the right breed for your area is crucial but with a little bit of research you can run an economically viable rare breed small holding.

Subsidies

One way of making your rare breed production economically viable is by investigating what subsidies might be available in your area. Local and national governments are beginning to realise that without financial incentives many livestock breeds can be lost forever and are offering subsidies to farmers raising certain types, usually those typical to the region and best adapted to the local climate.

A great resource for finding out about subsidies is the UK based Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST). They work tirelessly to source funding for breeding projects and variety of livestock types and have close ties with DEFRA. As the child of a rare-breed homesteader I have had first hand experience of the vast amount of help and advice RBST offer. Indeed, my mother was successful in finding a subsidy for her rare-breed

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