The Countryside Regeneration Trust (CRT), a national charity promoting nature-friendly farming, today announced its first Albion calf has been born at Brays Farm in Surrey.

Last year, three Albion cows made the journey from BBC Countryfile presenter Adam Henson's farm in Gloucestershire to their new home at Nutfield Dairy with CRT tenant farmers Matthew Elphick and Betsie Edge. 

They are working hard to establish a new herd of this critically rare breed, which is on the Rare Breed Survival Trust’s red watchlist. The farm also has a breed of Dairy Shorthorn and are now using an original population Shorthorn sire, which is also on the red watchlist.

Matt said: “We’re really excited to have our first Albion calf, particularly as it’s a heifer. The breed is critically rare so to be able to add to the population and help the recovery of these lovely animals is brilliant."

Matt said the breed is usually used for beef and it's very rare for a farm to milk Albions.

He said: "Our future plans include creating a new cheese named after the Albions. I’ve already started experimenting with a white moulded soft cheese. We could potentially be marketing this by the end of the year.

"The Albion is an old dual purpose breed, meaning they’re good for both milk and beef. I think it’s really important to use these native breeds that suit your farming management and the Albions and our Shorthorns thrive on our regenerative, pasture-fed system.

"At a time when we need to be focusing on emissions, these small traditional breeds are great because they’re smaller, require less feed and therefore have less carbon footprint."

And Matt said they will definitely be welcoming more Albion calves!

"Elsa, (the cow's pedigree name) came to us from Adam Henson's farm when she was early in-calf and the other two have recently been served, so more to come in the months ahead."

The Albion is believed to be from the Welsh Black crossed with a White Dairy Shorthorn. Originally from Derbyshire, it was previously also known as Bakewell Blue or Blue Albion. It suffered a devastating decline in numbers following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the 1960s. 

Countryfile presenter and farmer Adam Henson is a strong advocate for traditional rare breed farm animals. 

Last year, he said: “All rare breed cattle are important, but Albions are particularly special to me, so I’m delighted that Matthew and Betsie are starting this new herd on Brays Farm. I know they have plans to keep breeding them and to develop a new Albion cheese, so that’ll be fantastic to see and taste.”

Supporting rare breeds is one of the CRT’s core aims to protect species and habitats that are threatened or have greatly declined. The CRT has Traditional Herefords, which are now classed as a rare breed on the amber watchlist, at Awnells Farm in Herefordshire. 

Oxford Sandy and Black pigs are kept at Bere Marsh Farm in Dorset and are also on the amber watchlist along with Llanwenog sheep, which are looked after by CRT tenants Bob Felton and Liz Wallis at Twyford Farm in West Sussex. 

Kerriann McLackland, Head of Estates for the CRT, said: “Native breeds are a natural fit for regenerative farming as their genetics often make them better suited to thriving on less intensively managed grasslands.  

“They graze a wider range of plants than many modern breeds, meaning they encourage greater diversity of plant species and help with the management of scrub, thistle and other plants that can invade grasslands.  

“These grazing characteristics, combined with a slower growth rate, make for the production of high-quality healthy meat, which is great both for the farmer and the consumer." 

How you can help
We can’t do it without you. If you want to help us protect local wildlife you can support the CRT in any number of ways, from joining as a CRT Friend to volunteering on one of our farms and attending our events. You can also sign-up to our monthly newsletter 'CRT News' for regular updates from our farms, straight to your inbox. See our website at https://www.thecrt.co.uk/