Britain’s native farm animals can be rarer than giant pandas

BRITAIN’S ONE-PIG policy was a success. In 1955 the government endorsed an “improved bacon pig” to help revive the ailing pork industry. A few breeds competed for the role but the portly Large White, which piles on weight quickly and does well indoors, prevailed. Today, an even-plumper descendant of the Large White feeds industrial pig farms up and down the land.The dominance of the Large White spelled disaster for other swine. Dorset Gold Tips and Lincolnshire Curly Coats went extinct. Others are clinging on by their trotters. The Middle White, a smaller sibling of the Large White, is five times rarer than the giant panda. Only 56 sows had litters of registered piglets in 2022.