An online meat company is working with a farmer to build a new herd of one of Britain’s rarest cattle – the Gloucester - after saving them from premature slaughter.
Farmison & Co and Stuart Raw, who farms in North Yorkshire, stepped in to buy the animals after he heard that the cattle were being sold at an auction mart.
Fearing that no other farmers were willing to take them on, they decided to bring the animals to North Yorkshire.
Now the seven cows - some of which are in calf - and eight calves are out grazing on farmland in Wensleydale.
Over time, the plan is to buy a bull and build up the herd of the cattle which is on the red priority list of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST).
The Gloucester is an ancient breed going back to the 13th century, valued for their beef and milk, used to make single and double Gloucester cheeses, and as draught oxen.
It was the breed that Sir Edward Jenner used in the 18th Century for his pioneering work on the development of a smallpox vaccine from the cowpox virus.
Described by the Gloucester Cattle Society as “strikingly beautiful”, they have a black-brown body with black head and a distinctive white strip down the back and tail and under the belly, with black-tipped white horn.
The introduction of other breeds and more intensive agriculture, led to a dramatic fall in numbers until there was just one herd left by 1972.
Since then, rare breed enthusiasts have helped numbers recover to about 700 registered breeding cows.
The Gloucesters will be managed by Mr Raw, a long-timer supplier of beef to Farmison & Co from his own herd of Dexters.
The North Yorkshire-based company specialises in meat from heritage breeds, including Dexter, Galloway, Belted Galloway, Red Poll, Shetland and Sussex.
Stuart Raw said: “We saw the opportunity to help save a rare breed and jumped at the chance.
"Being docile and pleasant creatures, the cattle are a joy to have in this landscape and we look forward to working with the Gloucester Cattle Society to establish the herd and support the wider breed.”
John Pallagi, Farmison & Co founder, said the 'extremely rare' Gloucester cattle breed had a 'special place' in the history of the UK.
"Now we can play our part in building up their numbers, so they have a role in its future too.," he said.
“Our loyal customers appreciate the taste and quality of heritage breed meat and together we can help save breeds that might otherwise disappear from our countryside.”
