Conserving heritage British sheep breeds

Overview

Sheep have grazed in Britain, providing wool - one of our greatest natural resources - for thousands of years and, although in the last 50 years both sheep farming and the wool textile industry in the UK have shrunk considerably, their strong roots remain.

We want to celebrate our British sheep and have started a new programme to nominate a sheep breed of the year. We will then spend the year promoting this sheep breed to help spread awareness and boost the local sheep and wool industry.

Why your views matter

We want to find out more about your favourite sheep breeds. Take part to help us select the British sheep breed of the year.