British Saddleback

Short description: British breed of pig

British Saddleback

Sow, judged Best of Breed at the Royal Show at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire in 2009

Conservation status|

* FAO (2007): endangered-maintained
* DAD-IS (2022): at risk/endangered
* RBST (2022–2023): at risk

Country of origin| United Kingdom
Standard| British Pig Association
Use| dual-purpose, pork and bacon
Traits
Weight|

* Male:

320 kg[1]

* Female:

270 kg[1]

* Pig
* Sus scrofa domesticus

The British Saddleback is a modern British breed of domestic pig. It was created in 1967 by merging the surviving populations of two traditional saddleback breeds, the Essex and Wessex Saddleback.[2]: 224 It is an endangered breed, listed on the watchlist of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as at risk, the second-highest level of concern.[3]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Characteristics
* 3 Use
* 4 References

## History

The British Saddleback was created in 1967 by merging the remaining populations of two quite different traditional saddleback breeds, the Essex and the Wessex Saddleback, into a single herd-book. Both breeds had declined following the publication of the Howitt report in 1955, which found breed diversity to be a handicap to the pig industry in Britain, and established a policy of concentrating production on three breeds only: the Welsh, the British Landrace and the Large White.[4][5]

During the Second World War some 47% of pedigree sow registrations were from the Essex and Wessex breeds. In 1949 there were 2435 licensed Essex and Wessex boars, almost 25% of the total number. By 1954 the two breeds accounted for no more than 22% of sow registrations and fewer than 10% of registered boars.[6] The recommendation of the time was to cross-breed saddleback sows with a white boar to produce a dual-purpose pig, for both pork and bacon production.[6]

The British Saddleback was listed as "endangered-maintained" by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2007.[7]: 121 In 2016 the Rare Breeds Survival Trust listed it as a "minority breed" rather than a rare breed.[1] In 2012 the population was reported to be 882;[8] by 2019 that figure had fallen to 378. In 2022 the breed was listed in DAD-IS as at risk/endangered,[9] and in the 2022–2023 watchlist of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust its conservation status was given as at risk, the second-highest level of concern.[3]

Saddlebacks have been exported to Bhutan, Brazil, Indonesia, the Leeward Islands, Nepal, Nigeria, the Russian Federation, the Seychelles and the Solomon Islands.[10]: 566

## Characteristics

The British Saddleback is large and deep in the body. It is black with a white saddle, sheet or band round the withers, shoulders and front legs; some white is allowed on the nose, tail and hind feet. It is lop-eared.[1] The coat is fine, straight and silky.[10]: 566

## Use

The British Saddleback is hardy and forages well, and is suitable for extensive management. It is a dual-purpose breed, used for the production of both pork and bacon.[1] It is among the most prolific of British pig breeds, with an average litter size of approximately 10;[10]: 566 [1][9] sows have good maternal qualities.[6]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 British Saddleback. Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Archived 9 November 2016.
2. ↑ Valerie Porter (editor), Ian Lauder Mason (2002). Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties (5th edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 085199430X.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Watchlist 2022–23. Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Archived 24 April 2022.
4. ↑ Official Policy to Focus on a Single Type of Pig. British Pig Association. Accessed November 2016.
5. ↑ Harold Gibson Howitt (1955). Development of pig production in the United Kingdom: report of the Advisory Committee on Development of Pig Production in the United Kingdom. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 The British Saddleback. British Pig Association. Archived 23 February 2008.
7. ↑ Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
8. ↑ British Saddleback/United Kingdom. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed November 2016.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Breed data sheet: British Saddleback / United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Pig). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed April 2022.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.

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