British Saddleback
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| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Standard | British Pig Association |
| Use | dual-purpose, pork and bacon |
| Traits | |
| Weight | |
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The British Saddleback is a modern British breed of domestic pig. It was created in 1967 by merging the surviving populations of two traditional saddleback breeds, the Essex and Wessex Saddleback.[2]: 224 It is an endangered breed, listed on the watchlist of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as at risk, the second-highest level of concern.[3]
History
[edit]The British Saddleback was created in 1967 by merging the remaining populations of two quite different traditional saddleback breeds, the Essex and the Wessex Saddleback, into a single herd-book. Both breeds had declined following the publication of the Howitt report in 1955, which found breed diversity to be a handicap to the pig industry in Britain, and established a policy of concentrating production on three breeds only: the Welsh, the British Landrace and the Large White.[4][5]
During the Second World War some 47% of pedigree sow registrations were from the Essex and Wessex breeds. In 1949 there were 2435 licensed Essex and Wessex boars, almost 25% of the total number. By 1954 the two breeds accounted for no more than 22% of sow registrations and fewer than 10% of registered boars.[6] The recommendation of the time was to cross-breed saddleback sows with a white boar to produce a dual-purpose pig, for both pork and bacon production.[6]
The British Saddleback was listed as "endangered-maintained" by the FAO in 2007.[7]: 121 In 2016 the Rare Breeds Survival Trust listed it as a "minority breed" rather than a rare breed.[1] In 2012 the population was reported to be 882;[8] by 2019 that figure had fallen to 378. In 2022 the breed was listed in DAD-IS as at risk/endangered,[9] and in the 2022–2023 watchlist of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust its conservation status was given as at risk, the second-highest level of concern.[3]
Saddlebacks have been exported to Bhutan, Brazil, Indonesia, the Leeward Islands, Nepal, Nigeria, the Russian Federation, the Seychelles and the Solomon Islands.[10]: 566
Characteristics
[edit]The British Saddleback is large and deep in the body. It is black with a white saddle, sheet or band round the withers, shoulders and front legs; some white is allowed on the nose, tail and hind feet. It is lop-eared.[1] The coat is fine, straight and silky.[10]: 566
Use
[edit]The British Saddleback is hardy and forages well, and is suitable for extensive management. It is a dual-purpose breed, used for the production of both pork and bacon.[1] It is among the most prolific of British pig breeds, with an average litter size of approximately 10;[10]: 566 [1][9] sows have good maternal qualities.[6]
References
[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f British Saddleback. Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Archived 9 November 2016.
- ^ Valerie Porter (editor), Ian Lauder Mason (2002). Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties (5th edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 085199430X.
- ^ a b Watchlist 2022–23. Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Archived 24 April 2022.
- ^ Official Policy to Focus on a Single Type of Pig. British Pig Association. Accessed November 2016.
- ^ Harold Gibson Howitt (1955). Development of pig production in the United Kingdom: report of the Advisory Committee on Development of Pig Production in the United Kingdom. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
- ^ a b c The British Saddleback. British Pig Association. Archived 23 February 2008.
- ^ Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources[dead link], annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Accessed November 2016.
- ^ British Saddleback/United Kingdom. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed November 2016.
- ^ a b Breed data sheet: British Saddleback / United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Pig). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed April 2022.
- ^ a b c Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.