The future of one of the rarest pig breeds in Britain will now be secured through a donation of nearly £ 100,000 to a new genome project.
The British Lope, an old breed of pig native to the UK, which for many years was one of the rarest in the country, was selected for a pilot project.
Work will begin after an impressive donation of £ 94,500 from the Gerald Fallow Discretionary Fund in support of pig conservation efforts under the Rare Breed Survival Fund (RBST).
The five-year project will include advanced genomic work, the creation of new collections of boar semen, and advanced work with embryos. Work will also be done with the genome in order to establish the breed profile, which will make the British Lopa the only local breed that has passed the modern scientific test for breed purity.
RBST will collect genetic material from 15 boars, and one of the goals will be to “process” frozen sperm granules, which are known to be difficult to use, allowing genetically distinct boars to be bred at the start of the project.
The former Minister of Agriculture, the UK Department of the Environment, Food and Agriculture, said he was "thrilled" that it was the British Lop that was chosen for the pilot project.
Pig breed Lope
And RBST chairman Gail Sprake said the project’s goal is to secure the future of the British Lope forever: “This will allow us to fill our National Gene Bank with this breed and also protect it from the reduction in numbers and potential threats posed by outbreaks of disease.”
