Mail Online

Flock and awe! Charlotte the shepherdess helps Charles to rescue our rarest breeds

By Kirsten Johnson

FEMALE shepherds are a rare breed in the UK, so it seems fitting that one of them has emerged as Prince Charles’s secret weapon in his bid to conserve the nation’s most endangered farm animals.

Charlotte Darwent, 28, is in charge of the Prince’s 800-strong flock at his Dumfries House estate in Ayrshire – ably assisted by her dogs Maggie, Dot and Gill.

Cradling a Castlemilk Moorit lamb, the Cheshire-born shepherdess told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Many rare breeds are ancient breeds and are hardy and self-sufficient – they don’t need a lot of feeding – and they are so characterful and charming.

‘They bring colour and variety to livestock farming.

‘Sometimes people ask us if the Castlemilk Moorits are goats or deer. They are very unique and look olde-worldy, almost medieval. This uniqueness is one of the reasons it’s so important to keep them going.’

The future of Castlemilk Moorit sheep had looked uncertain, with fewer than 900 registered in the UK, but this year the farming team at Dumfries House has welcomed 27 new lambs.

Another success story is the conservation of Vaynol cattle, which were on the brink of extinction several years ago, with just 25 breeding females in existence. As a result of the Prince’s initiative, seven white calves were born last month.

The team has also seen the arrival of 27 Boreray lambs, ten Shetland goslings, two Shetl and ducklings, ten Scotch Dumpy hen chicks, eight Scotch Grey hen chicks and three Crollwitzer turkey chicks, known as poults. A new litter of British Landrace piglets are expected in the autumn – making 2021 the farm’s most successful year. News of the arrivals has been welcomed by Charles, patron of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. The Prince was heavily involved in selecting the rare breeds for the programme four years ago. Talking about the scheme, he admits: ‘It’s a real uphill struggle to get people to understand how valuable they are.’ After lockdown, the estate’s Valentin Education Farm has recently begun to welcome back schoolchildren who are taught about the provenance of food as well as seeing the animals up close. Manager Denise Richardson-Rowell said: ‘We are all very proud of what we have achieved, and welcoming a new generation of rarebreed babies makes i t all so worthwhile.

‘They are the proof we are succeeding. If people don’t

‘The babies are proof we are succeeding’

carry on breeding these native rare breeds, they will just die out and be gone for ever.

‘His Royal Highness is very passionate about the importance of rare breeds, and when he visits Dumfries House he always comes to see us at the farm and takes a great interest in all the animals.’

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2021-06-06T07:00:00.0000000Z

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