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WE NEED YOUR HELP
Any donation, no matter how small will help us fund essential conservation work.
Please Help.
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April 2015
Open Farm Sunday- a reminder
Don't forget Open Farm Sunday will be happening on 7th June 2015. It is a great opportunity for rare breed farmers to show off their livestock and methods and for the public to learn more about the world of farming in general and rare breeds in particular. If you are planning to take part in Open Farm Sunday, let RBST know and details will be included in a listing on the website.
To take part, you can register at www.farmsunday.org. If you would like RBST promotional material and collection bucket stickers, please contact harriet@rbst.org.uk.
Protecting the future of our pigs   Currently all of the pigs on our 2015 Watchlist are in urgent need of help. A combination of economic and export regulation changes are thought to have contributed to the significant decline in pig breeding; as many people are simply giving up as they cannot make money in the current situation. Although encouraging breeding and establishing breeding programmes is an important part of our conservation work, I am sure you all understand that due to current circumstances, we are unable to do this on a large scale.
But, we still need to make sure that these breeds are safe from extinction. Collecting genetic material for our Gene Bank will ensure that we have a genetic record and available resources to carry out essential conservation work in the future. Without this, our rarest breeds could suffer problems with inbreeding, genetic drift and potentially be lost to extinction forever. We need to fund semen collections from rare breed boars to make sure our pig breeds are safe from the threat of extinction. Each collection costs £3,000 and since 2002, RBST have been undertaking this work jointly with the British Pig Association to establish a dual gene bank of semen for our rare breed pigs. Our collections of boar semen mirror each other and are stored in separate tanks to ensure the best security of the semen. The joint venture enables our two organisations to collect from more boars than we could individually, and ensure it is stored in the most secure way and used to the best benefit of the breeds.If you can help fund this work by making a small donation, it will be greatly appreciated.Photos: Oxford Sand and Black Sow and Piglets by Oxford Sandy and Black Pig Society and British Lop Sow and Piglets at RBST Approved Conservation Farm Park Church Farm
Call for candidates
This year’s Board Elections are fast approaching and will see two posts open for nominations.
The Role of a trustee in any charity is a vital one: trustees carry out the function of and have similar responsibilities to directors of commercial organisations. The role, which carries with it specified legal obligations is defined by the Charity Commission of England and Wales, which states:
“Charity Trustees are the people who form the governing body of a charity. Depending upon the wording used in the charity’s governing document they may be known as trustees, directors, board members.
They are responsible for controlling the management and administration of a charity. The great majority of trustees serve as volunteers, and receive no payment. They should work together as a team, and have ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of a charity, ensuring that it is solvent, well –run and delivering charitable outcomes for the benefit of the public for which it has been set up.”
RBST is very keen to hear from new candidates, regardless of age. Looking to the future direction of the Trust, the Board has reviewed the skills and knowledge of the continuing trustees and has identified that it would be of great benefit for prospective trustees to have some specialist knowledge and /or qualifications in one of the following fields:-
- Legal/ Charity Governance
- Direct Marketing /PR/ Fundraising
- Financial/ Accounting Knowledge
- Business Management
- Experience of engaging with young people
- Scientific/ Genetic knowledge
To help prospective candidates obtain a better understanding of what the role of the trustee is, the Board has drawn up a job description and person specification which outlines both the legal requirements and the type of personal attributes to the work of the Trust. It goes without saying that one requirement is a passion for the work of the charity and an understanding of the issues surrounding rare breeds, together with a willingness to devote time and effort working as a member of a team whilst contributing an independent perspective.
RBST is aiming to broaden the knowledge and experience base of its trustees and as such is also looking for candidates with experience outside of the rare breeds/livestock sector; this could be in the form of business management and finance, charity law or fundraising.
If you are interested in finding out more about what the role of the RBST Board member involves, the full job description and person specification are available through the RBST offices at Stoneleigh. To find out more about the legal responsibilities attached to the role of a trustee, visit the charity commission website.
Young Shepherd at Countryfest - 30th- 31st May 2015
West Morland Agricultural Society- County Showfield, Lane Farm, Crooklands, Near Kendal (Near Junction 36,M6).
  
This year RBST are holding a special Young Shepherd weekend at Countryfest, there will be workshops, demos and competitive classes to get you all ready for the competition running throughout the summer. Find out more by following this link.
Grazing Advice for Meadows
Did you know that hay meadow species diversity is increased when grazing and cutting are combined, rather than cutting alone? Grazing animals can also take the place of a hay cut on sites where access is difficult or equipment is hard to obtain and native breeds of cattle, sheep or ponies can have a hugely beneficial effect on species richness.
The Coronation Meadows project is able to offer advice and support on grazing through the Rare Breeds Survival Trust's Field Officers, Ruth Dalton (North) and Richard Broad (South) - this could take the form of a phone chat, site visit or even a training session. If you're already carrying out grazing with native breeds and would be willing to host a farm walk with a discussion on the benefits of conservation grazing, please do contact Ruth or Richard.
If you are interested in learning more about conservation grazing, follow thislink and see our available courses.
Ruth Dalton
E: ruth@rbst.org.uk T: 01539 816223
Richard Broad
E: r.broad@rbst.org.uk T: 07772 007399
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