Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
useful introduction to the study of farm livestock and go some way towards
explaining temporal changes in livestock numbers.
However, many rare breeds are only found in specific localities. The RBST
membership survey noted a strong degree of local loyalty to particular livestock. In
Scotland, for example, there were higher than average rates of ownership of Shetland
Cattle (kept by 27 per cent of Scottish RBST owners), Belted Galloway Cattle (kept
by 24 per cent of Scottish RBST owners) and Clydesdale Horses (kept by 43 per
cent
Figure 5.1 Different breeds of livestock can be a central attraction in many farm
tourism enterprises. Here the 'Live Sheep Show', part of the Lakeland Sheep and
Wool Centre in Cumbria, introduces visitors to the diversity of British sheep
breeds in an entertaining manner.
Source: Authors' photograph
of Scottish RBST owners). In Wales, higher than average rates of ownership were
recorded for Hill Radnor, Llanwenog and South Wales Mountain Sheep, all Welsh
breeds. Furthermore, 60 per cent of Dorset Down Sheep, 57 per cent of Cotswold
Sheep (see Figure 5.2 ), 56 per cent of Greyfaced Dartmoor Sheep and 48 per cent
of Wiltshire Horn Sheep were found in the south of England, clustering most
strongly in those places that the breed names suggest.
In many of these cases, economic sense would suggest that other breeds could be
used in a much more profitable manner. Economistic approaches cannot, therefore,
fully explain the geographies of farm animals, and more culturally sensitive
approaches are needed to understand links between livestock and place. The
following sections offer ways of doing this and consider in more detail how livestock
Search WWH ::




Custom Search