The Traditional Trio

Tim Tyne looks at the Southdown, the Norfolk Horn and the Suffolk, which are all intrinsically linked back in the mists of time

- Tim Tyne

One of the things that has always fascinated me about sheep is the evolution of the various different types, and the resulting genetic linkage between breeds that we might otherwise consider to be quite separate. It is also interesting to note that crossbreeding is what created our traditional breeds. This begs the somewhat controversial question as to whether pedigree breeding of so called ‘traditional’ breeds is actually of any importance, or does it simply stifle progress?

We live in a rapidly changing world, so would our time and effort be better spent in experimenting with new crosses, perhaps better suited to our current situation, as did our forefathers who created the breeds we see today? Should ‘new’ breeds be allowed to supersede old ones, or should the old ones be preserved at all cost? And if old breeds are to be preserved, should this be for historical reasons, or because we may need their genetics in the future? Or both? In the words of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST): “Saving our native breeds can help us to face as yet unknown challenges in the form of disease resistance and susceptibility, climate adaptation, food security and resilience,” and: “It is our task to protect our food and farming systems by maintaining secure alternative livestock genetic resources.”

Any new type of sheep that is developed these days is labelled as a ‘composite’ breed and it tends to be somewhat frowned upon by the purists. However, all of our breeds (apart from the very primitive ones, perhaps) are technically composites. The traditional trio that I always use to illustrate the interesting links between breeds are the Southdown, the Norfolk Horn and the Suffolk.

THE NORFOLK HORN