Post by jamshundred on Oct 22, 2014 6:35:45 GMT
Shock over Stormont sale of rare livestock
Published 26/08/2014
Brendan Hughes
ANIMAL welfare charities have described a decision by a Stor-mont agency to sell off its rare livestock breeds as a "travesty".
Shocked conservationists last night urged the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) to find new homes for the animals amid fears they will be slaughtered.
The Irish News revealed last week that the agency would be selling livestock used to graze popular public nature reserves across the north.
Rare breeds of cattle, sheep and ponies have been purchased in the last decade to help improve grassland, dune and wetland habitats.
The sites include Peatlands Park near Dungannon, Clogher Hill Fort and Castle Arch-dale in Co Fermanagh.
Shetland cattle and sheep, Hebridean sheep, Dexter cattle and Exmoor ponies have grazed the reserves, as well as the rare Konik pony - a descendant of the extinct European wild horse, the Tarpan.
Two stags at Castle Arch-dale are also to be sold for venison.
Internal NIEA emails seen by The Irish News say some of the livestock are likely to attract interest from "discerning butchers".
However, the correspondence also admits the move would be controversial, saying that selling the two stags for venison could have a "negative reaction" from the public.
Staff fear the rare breeds - around 300 sheep, cattle and ponies in total - are likely to be sold for a "fraction" of their value.
One NIEA employee argued the livestock could instead be managed sustainably and used to provide quality meat instead of "flushing money down the drain".
Ruth Dalton from the Rare Breeds Survival Trust said they were "shocked" to hear of the NIEA's Shetland cattle plans.
She said the breed is considered "at risk", with fewer than 750 breeding females remaining globally.
"If these cattle are sold on the open market it is likely they will go for slaughter, which would be a travesty," Ms Dalton said.
"It is vitally important that the cattle are retained to continue the excellent work of restoring and maintaining wildlife habitats in Northern Ireland, and failing this, as a last resort, that they are found new homes."
NIEA originally bought about a dozen of the cattle from the Shetland Cattle Herd Book Society in 2008.
The society's president Eleanor Arthur said there were "great concerns" over NIEA's Shetland cattle plans.
"It is difficult to under-stand the rationale behind the NIEA's decision and it is alarming to see that the NIEA is intending their pastures to become commercial farms," she said.
"Native breeds are utilised to maintain health and diversity in natural habitats of park, reserve and wild land, not to provide a model for commercial farming."
NIEA said it "experimented" with rare breed livestock and the results had generally been encouraging, with the conservation condition of grassland habitats "maintained or improved".
However, a spokesman said its livestock model could not "be easily replicated by commercial farmers".
"Consequently NIEA has decided to sell its livestock, which include some seven rare and traditional breeds and to licence the grazing of its pastures to commercial farmers," he said.
The spokesman said NIEA would retain its small herd of Konik ponies but all other animals would be sold next month.
Published 26/08/2014
Brendan Hughes
ANIMAL welfare charities have described a decision by a Stor-mont agency to sell off its rare livestock breeds as a "travesty".
Shocked conservationists last night urged the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) to find new homes for the animals amid fears they will be slaughtered.
The Irish News revealed last week that the agency would be selling livestock used to graze popular public nature reserves across the north.
Rare breeds of cattle, sheep and ponies have been purchased in the last decade to help improve grassland, dune and wetland habitats.
The sites include Peatlands Park near Dungannon, Clogher Hill Fort and Castle Arch-dale in Co Fermanagh.
Shetland cattle and sheep, Hebridean sheep, Dexter cattle and Exmoor ponies have grazed the reserves, as well as the rare Konik pony - a descendant of the extinct European wild horse, the Tarpan.
Two stags at Castle Arch-dale are also to be sold for venison.
Internal NIEA emails seen by The Irish News say some of the livestock are likely to attract interest from "discerning butchers".
However, the correspondence also admits the move would be controversial, saying that selling the two stags for venison could have a "negative reaction" from the public.
Staff fear the rare breeds - around 300 sheep, cattle and ponies in total - are likely to be sold for a "fraction" of their value.
One NIEA employee argued the livestock could instead be managed sustainably and used to provide quality meat instead of "flushing money down the drain".
Ruth Dalton from the Rare Breeds Survival Trust said they were "shocked" to hear of the NIEA's Shetland cattle plans.
She said the breed is considered "at risk", with fewer than 750 breeding females remaining globally.
"If these cattle are sold on the open market it is likely they will go for slaughter, which would be a travesty," Ms Dalton said.
"It is vitally important that the cattle are retained to continue the excellent work of restoring and maintaining wildlife habitats in Northern Ireland, and failing this, as a last resort, that they are found new homes."
NIEA originally bought about a dozen of the cattle from the Shetland Cattle Herd Book Society in 2008.
The society's president Eleanor Arthur said there were "great concerns" over NIEA's Shetland cattle plans.
"It is difficult to under-stand the rationale behind the NIEA's decision and it is alarming to see that the NIEA is intending their pastures to become commercial farms," she said.
"Native breeds are utilised to maintain health and diversity in natural habitats of park, reserve and wild land, not to provide a model for commercial farming."
NIEA said it "experimented" with rare breed livestock and the results had generally been encouraging, with the conservation condition of grassland habitats "maintained or improved".
However, a spokesman said its livestock model could not "be easily replicated by commercial farmers".
"Consequently NIEA has decided to sell its livestock, which include some seven rare and traditional breeds and to licence the grazing of its pastures to commercial farmers," he said.
The spokesman said NIEA would retain its small herd of Konik ponies but all other animals would be sold next month.
