As an expert on our native rare breeds Lawrence Alderson was recently invited to take part in an interview with Jeremy Cherfas for his “Eat this” podcast on the importance of yesterday’s breeds for tomorrow’s agriculture. During the interview Lawrence refers to White Park cattle on several occasions. The whole interview is 26 minutes in length and you can listen to it here.
White Park cow Highlea Daisy is a very special lady! Daisy not only won her White Park class in a virtual heritage breed competition held in December 2020, but she was also awarded Reserve Champion across all the White Park classes. But her list of achievements don’t stop there. Daisy is one of only 3 registered White Park cattle living in New Zealand and she was born via embryo transfer out of a host New Zealand black dam. Owners Justine (seen below) and Allan Rowlands are justifiably proud of their White Park animals and are hoping to expand their herd when current travel restrictions allow the transfer of further White Park embryos and semen over to New Zealand.
Volume 15 of the White Park Cattle Society Herd Book is now available for purchase by non-members of the Society for £5. This edition of our Herd Book lists all of the registrations of pedigree White Park cattle which were processed by our office during the years 2016 to 2019. Birth notified and unregistered animals do not appear in the herd book.
The herd book also contains details of transfers and herd prefixes, as well as information on the breed profile.
If you would like to purchase a copy of Volume 15 of the WPCS Herd Book please contact the Breed Secretary, Jane Hampson, on [email protected] or tel: 01926 632560.
Our Society magazine can also be included with the herd book free of charge.
The preservation of our genetic resources – our biological diversity – is an essential ingredient of sustainable life on Earth, and not something we can afford to lose. A new book written by the President of the White Park Cattle Society, Lawrence Alderson CBE, challenges often repeated ‘facts’ about livestock farming, straight from the horse’s mouth. Rare breeds expert Lawrence argues for a reasoned and evidence-based approach from political and public circles. He recounts the creation and development of the rare breed conservation movement, addresses extinctions and genetic safe-guarding measures, and considers where we go from here.
Challenged as we are by climate change, sustainability and feeding the world, perhaps it is these endangered animals that hold the answer.
The Quest to Conserve Rare Breeds is priced at £29.99 and can be ordered from the website of the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International.
We heard with great sorrow that Bernard Hartshorn passed away on 27th May in hospital where he had been ill for some time. Many members will recall the excellent Open Days which he hosted at Wimpole Home Farm. The remarkable docility of the White Park cattle and other breeds in a National Trust centre open to the public were a tribute to his understanding and handling of livestock.
Under his sympathetic management the Ash herd of White Park cattle earned an enviable reputation in the breed. He produced a succession of bulls that contributed a powerful improving influence and raised the status of the herd. Lucien, Larry, Michael, Niknak and Poplar are names that appear in the pedigree of many excellent animals.
I spent a great deal of time with Bernard during the years he was active in the Society. It was an immense pleasure to work with him. He was knowledgeable but always ready to listen and discuss; congenial and relaxed company but never forgot the task in hand whether it was a bull inspection or organisation of an Open Day. He exerted a huge influence, and both we and the cattle owe him a great debt.
He was chairman of the Society for six years (1998 – 2004). They included the difficult BSE and FMD crises when his calm authority was invaluable. His White Park work, and his wider farming activities, involved the whole family. His wife, Shirley who predeceased him, was secretary of the Society for seventeen years, and his daughter, Marie, for five years. Our deepest sympathy and condolences are with her and her family.
Lawrence Alderson, CBE
President, White Park Cattle Society
Collection of semen from a Pass Plus White Park bull was completed by UK Sires in April 2020.
Chartley Miles (below) is a quiet bull who behaved impeccably during his stay in Devon for the semen collection.
Straws from Chartley Miles have been approved for world-wide export and are available to order from the Society office at a cost of £10 each. UK Sires will also charge a despatch fee.
To order straws please contact the Society Secretary, Jane Hampson, on [email protected]
The Society also has semen straws available from two other Pass Plus bulls – Crane Majestic and Broadecton Clayton. Please visit this page for full details.
The new Agriculture Bill which is currently passing through Parliament has given a commitment to support our native livestock (such as White Park cattle) and equines. The Bill recognises that our native breeds have a low environmental footprint, high welfare standards and provide premium produce, as well as being a major part of our national heritage. The Chief Executive of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust has commented on this new development as below:
https://www.rbst.org.uk/blog/agriculture-bill-briefing-2019
A new book entitled ” Anarchy or Establishment” was published at the end of May 2019. The biography is the journey of a shy boy from a remote Pennine hill farm to a man who is now a renowned international consultant on conservation genetics with a CBE for services to rare breeds – our very own President, Lawrence Alderson.
Lawrence has dedicated much of his life to saving traditional native breeds and was founder president of Rare Breeds International and the founder, scientific consultant, director and chairman of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. He is an eternal optimist with a ‘glass half full’ attitude to life, always looking for positive opportunities even when the outlook is bleak. His smiling northern sense of humour has carried him through many farming disasters such as Foot and Mouth Disease.
“Anarchy or Establishment” is 224 pages long and has 145 photos. It retails at £25 and is available to order from Hayloft Publishing on [email protected] or 079 713 524 73.
Our dramatically distinctive White Park cattle which grace parkland and pasture in many parts of the country is Britain’s most ancient breed of livestock. “A Breed of Distinction” by the Society President and White Park cattle expert, Lawrence Alderson CBE, deals comprehensively with both the ancient provenance of White Park cattle and their value in the context of modern farming. Its narrative reveals a fascinating range of interest and knowledge, illustrated in both monochrome and colour images.
An updated and revised copy of “A Breed of Distinction” is now for sale via Amazon using this link.
The first edition of the White Park Cattle Society magazine “A Breed of Distinction” has been published.
Our thanks go to retired Council member John Carrick, who managed the production and printing of the magazine, ably assisted by his editorial team of Amy Cope, Jessica Byrne-Daniel, John Barker and Guy Myddelton.
The 16-page magazine features articles on breeding for the best, a guide to showing White Park cattle, halter training young cattle, members new to the breed, the export of embryos to New Zealand, keeping White Park outdoors all year round and the change of lifestyle from London banker to Rutland farmer.
The magazine also contains herd advertisements from several White Park herds.
Volume One of “A Breed of Distinction” is available free of charge to anyone who is interested in finding out more about White Park Cattle. If you would like to receive a copy please contact our Breed Secretary, Jane Hampson, on [email protected] with your address details.
