Rare Breeds
Part of our rural heritage
Portland sheep are listed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as a rare breed, because there are very few of them left. Not many farmers keep them now, due to the fact that they are not commercially viable. They are not very big and they usually only have one lamb each year. Commercial sheep need to be large, fast-growing and produce as many lambs as possible to make a profit.
Many of the old local breeds were in danger of dying out (and indeed some did disappear forever) before the Rare Breeds Survival Trust was started to protect them. Now many of these breeds have been saved and live in places like Burrells Farm where we believe it is worth keeping the old breeds alive. They are part of our country's farming heritage. In the future, we may find we need some qualities possessed by these breeds.
Here at Burrells Farm we support the retention of our heritage of rare breed animals and will be extending our range of rare breeds to include Gloucester Old Spot pigs, Suffolk Punch horses and more poultry.