Five Boreray lambs that were bred at Writtle College will now be presented at the Newport Show.
The breed of small sheep is on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust’s (RBST) endangered list, with only an estimated 151 – 250 registered breeding ewes left in the UK.
The College bought four sisters from breeder Julie Suffolk at Backforest Farm, in the Peak District, back in September 2012 and successfully bred them at the Titchmarsh Centre for Animal Studies last year.
The five lambs are now just over a year old and have been sold back to Julie, who is now going to use them in the RBST’s exhibit at the Newport Show in Shropshire on Saturday 11 July. They will have a stud name with the Writtle prefix, so they will be shown as ‘Writtle xxx’
Kersty Ellis, Section Leader - Animal Studies and Veterinary Nursing, at Writtle College, said: “As this breed is on the endangered list, it is fantastic that we have been able to breed these lambs and contribute to their conservation. It is great news that they are of such a good standard that they can be part of the RBST exhibit at the Show and we look forward to finding out how they get on!”
A further five lambs have been bred at the College this year.