Research and analysis

UK breeds at risk list (BAR)

Updated 2 June 2025

© Crown copyright 2025

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-breeds-at-risk-from-exotic-animal-disease-outbreaks/uk-breeds-at-risk-list-bar

The following lists of native farm animal breeds considered to be at particular risk (in the event of an outbreak of exotic disease) have been determined from the expert advice of the UK Genetics for Livestock and Equines Committee (UKGLE). The criteria for a breed to be included on the lists are available in section 8.

These are not closed lists, and if evidence can be provided to support the criteria, the UKGLE Committee will consider further submissions to include additional breeds on the list. Equally, a breed can be removed from the list if it no longer fulfils all criteria.

Lists of breeds at risk are available below for:

1. Cattle

Cattle breeds at risk include:

  • British White
  • Chillingham
  • Gloucester
  • Guernsey
  • Irish Moiled
  • Lincoln Red
  • Northern Dairy Shorthorn
  • Red Poll
  • Shetland
  • Vaynol
  • White Galloway
  • White Park
  • Whitebred Shorthorn

2. Sheep

Sheep breeds at risk include:

  • Badger Face Welsh (Torwen)
  • Balwen
  • Border Leicester
  • Boreray
  • Castlemilk Moorit
  • Clun Forest
  • Cotswold
  • Derbyshire Gritstone
  • Devon and Cornwall Longwool
  • Devon Closewool
  • Dorset Down
  • Dorset Horn
  • Greyface Dartmoor
  • Hill Radnor
  • Leicester Longwool
  • Lincoln Longwool
  • Llanwenog
  • Lonk
  • Manx Loaghtan
  • Norfolk Horn
  • North Ronaldsay
  • Oxford Down
  • Portland
  • Shetland Mainland
  • Shropshire
  • Soay
  • Teeswater
  • Wensleydale
  • White Face Dartmoor
  • Whitefaced Woodland
  • Wiltshire Horn

In addition, the following sheep breeds are recognised to be geographically concentrated [footnote 1]. These breeds are not currently included on the breeds at risk lists but would be expected to be added if the number of breeding females fell below the numerical thresholds given in the criteria:

  • Dalesbred
  • Exmoor Horn
  • Herdwick
  • Romney
  • Rough Fell
  • South Country Cheviot

3. Goats

Goat breeds at risk include:

  • Bagot
  • Cheviot Goats
  • Golden Guernsey
  • Old English Goats
  • Saanen
  • Toggenburg

4. Pigs

Pig breeds at risk include:

  • Berkshire
  • British Landrace
  • British Lop
  • British Saddleback
  • Gloucestershire Old Spots
  • Large Black
  • Large White
  • Middle White
  • Oxford Sandy and Black
  • Tamworth
  • Welsh

5. Equines

Equine breeds at risk include:

  • Cleveland Bay Horse
  • Clydesdale Horse
  • Dales Pony
  • Dartmoor Pony
  • Dartmoor Hill Pony
  • Eriskay Pony
  • Exmoor Pony
  • Fell Pony
  • Hackney
  • Highland Pony
  • New Forest Pony
  • Percheron
  • Shire Horse
  • Suffolk Horse
  • Welsh Pony (Section B)
  • Welsh Pony of Cob Type (Section C)

6. Poultry

Poultry breeds at risk include:

6.1 Chickens

  • Andalusian
  • Australorp (large fowl)
  • Brussbar
  • Burmese
  • Campine
  • Cochins
  • Cream Legbar
  • Croad Langshan
  • Dorbar
  • Dorking
  • Faverolle
  • Ixworth
  • Lincolnshire Buff (bantam)
  • Lincolnshire Buff (large fowl)
  • Marsh Daisy
  • Modern Langshan
  • Nankin
  • Norfolk Grey
  • North Holland Blue
  • Old English Pheasant Fowl
  • Rumpless Game
  • Scots Dumpy (bantam)
  • Scots Dumpy (large fowl)
  • Sebright
  • Sicilian Buttercup
  • Spanish
  • Sultan
  • Welbar
  • Wybar

6.2 Ducks

  • Abacot Ranger
  • Aylesbury
  • Cayuga
  • Orpington
  • Pekin
  • Rouen
  • Shetland Duck

6.3 Geese

  • Brecon Buff
  • Buff Back
  • Chinese
  • Embden
  • Greyback
  • Pilgrim
  • Roman
  • Sebastpool
  • Shetland
  • Steinbacher
  • Toulouse (British standard)
  • West of England

6.4 Turkeys

  • Blue
  • Bourbon Red
  • British White
  • Bronze
  • Buff
  • Crollwitzer
  • Harvey Speckled
  • Narragansett
  • Norfolk Black
  • Slate

7. Annex to the BAR list for breeds in transition to native status

Following a decision by the UKGLE Committee, it has been agreed to extend the Breeds at Risk List to include those breeds that are working towards native breed status but are yet to meet the full requirement.

In the event of an outbreak of an exotic disease, these breeds would be reviewed by APHA on a case by case basis for potential derogation from culling.

Breeds can be recorded as ‘in transition to native status’ if they supply sufficient evidence to support their status (an application form can be requested from ukglesecretariat@defra.gov.uk). They must also ensure that they have a contingency plan in place to be considered for derogation from culling.

7.1 Breeds in transition to native status

  • Riggit Galloway (eligible to apply for native status in 2046)
  • English Goat (eligible to apply for native status in 2032)

8. The criteria for eligibility to the UK Breeds at Risk Lists

For a breed to be included on the UK list of breeds considered to be at particular risk in the event of an outbreak of exotic disease it must:

8.1 Table 1 – Thresholds for number of registered breeding females in UK population

Species Thresholds for population of registered breeding females **
Cattle < 3,000
Equines < 3,000
Goats < 3,000
Pigs < 1,500
Sheep < 3,000
Poultry <1,000

** Thresholds may be increased when less than 80% of the registered breeding females are being used for pedigree pure breeding based on herdbook statistics.

Population can be calculated as follows:

  • by census – for a census to be accepted it must cover 80% of the herds and 80% of expected population based on registration statistics. The multipliers are already agreed and published
  • by registration statistics – this must be herdbook statistics which will then be used with a multiplier to calculate the population

8.2 Important

The breed must have a recognised breed society with whom Defra can communicate.

The breed society must submit Census or registration statistics to Defra annually for publication in the national inventory and on request.

An up to date list of breeders with registered pedigree stock must be maintained and be available in the event of a disease outbreak.

A breed which has exceeded the threshold and maintained an increasing or stable population for three years will be removed.

A breed which has been over the threshold for 5 years will be removed from the list.

Breeds should continue to submit annual data even if they are removed from the list if they wish to be reconsidered for inclusion when circumstances change.

A breed which has been below the threshold for one year will be re-instated to the list.

8.3 Further information

Further information on some of the definitions used in the criteria is available.

  1. For a definition of ‘geographically isolated’, please see the Definition of a breed for the purpose of the UK National Breed Inventory. ↩

Back to top