Data on poultry and on cryogenic reserves have been included in the this year’s UK National Breed Inventory.

This annual inventory collects data annually on the number of pedigree farm animals in the UK and helps officials monitor changes in breed populations over time which helps identify status, trends and potential threats.

This year, for the first time, data on poultry and on cryogenic reserves has been included. The addition of poultry in the National Breed Inventory represents a huge step forward in ensuring that poultry species and breeds continue to be viewed as a vital genetic resource. Furthermore, their inclusion in the dataset will help with future planning for UK livestock agriculture.

It is vital that breed societies representing native poultry genetic resources continue to supply this information annually in order to allow UK Government to adequately track the genetic health of these populations and establish tandem schemes to promote these.

Additionally, native breeds which supply annual census data are eligible to be included on the Breeds at Risk (BAR) list if their population numbers are below the threshold at which the breed is considered to be at particular risk - in the event of an outbreak of exotic disease.