Ancient Cattle of Wales added to rare breed watchlist

The Ancient Cattle of Wales has been recognised as a priority rare breed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST).

This new classification highlights the breed’s urgent need for conservation, as it faces a decline in population.

The inclusion of the breed in the RBST Watchlist’s priority category reflects its small population, limited geographic distribution, and a worrying decrease in new births.

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The full RBST Watchlist, to be published this month (April), details the status of the UK’s native livestock and equine breeds.

RBST chief executive Christopher Price  explained the breed’s importance.

“The Ancient Cattle of Wales is a valuable breed for today’s farming needs, as well as for its irreplaceable heritage value.

“It is excellent for conservation grazing that supports the environment and biodiversity, and it is a good economical beef breed in hill and upland situations.

“However, there has been a really concerning decline in new birth registrations over the past few years, as well as several well-established herds being disbanded following retirement of their owners.

“The breed is in a grave situation right now, but RBST is looking forward to working with the Ancient Cattle of Wales Society to secure a more stable situation.”

Unique heritage 

The Ancient Cattle of Wales has a unique heritage, with evidence of coloured cattle in the region dating back to the 10th century during the reign of Hywel Dda.

These cattle, in six different colours, were once widespread across Wales, but eventually dwindled to a few remote hill farms due to their hardiness and adaptability to the harsh terrain.

Since the late 1970s, dedicated farmers have worked to preserve the breed, and the Ancient Cattle of Wales Society (Gwartheg Hynafol Cymru) was founded in 1981 to support this effort.

The society has since established a breed standard, a herd book, and worked to increase the population.

The breed, which is known for its large ears and thick, soft hair, has several colour variations, including red, belted, blue, and “line back”.

Originally dual-purpose, the breed is now prized for its beef, known for producing tender, flavourful meat.

Ancient Cattle of Wales Society chairman Mike Lewis said: “We are delighted to have been accepted as part of the RBST family.

“With registered cattle numbers in the low hundreds, I and the wider ACW Society look forward to working with RBST to continue to promote and protect this very special Welsh breed.”