THE Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) Scotland Group has elected a Dumfriesshire woman as new chair.
Taking on the role is Rebecca McLellan, who keeps rare Castlemilk Moorit sheep at her farm near Rockcliffe. It’s a breed that originated at the Castlemilk Estate in Dumfriesshire in the early 1900s.
The flock is the centrepiece of Rebecca’s rare wool enterprise, Chocflock, a ‘digital but farm-gate’ business creating and selling high-end, hand-crafted pieces made from hand-woven fabric to an international customer base.
Following a 30-year City career in London specialising in finance marketing and communication, in 2019 Rebecca, her husband Hamish and son Gus moved back to Dumfries and Galloway to run Hamish’s family farm.
As RBST Scotland Group chair, Rebecca will lead the group’s activities, which include the RBST Scotland Conference, the RBST Scotland Food and Farming Sustainability awards, and a range of other events, stakeholder engagements and conservation projects alongside RBST Scottish Co-ordinator Alice Lennox.
She said: “I am delighted to take up the role of chair of the RBST Scotland Group. My upbringing in Africa instilled in me a lifelong passion for conservation, and I am excited to lead the group as we support a thriving future for rare native livestock and equine breeds.
“A number of breeds originating in Scotland are now categorised as Priority or At Risk breeds on the RBST’s watchlist. They are a fascinating and incredibly varied group of breeds which have great heritage value but which also play such an important role today for Scotland’s biodiversity, food industry, tourism and rural economy. “Breeds such as Shetland cattle, Soay sheep and the Highland pony reflect the country’s terrain and conditions, they are simply part of Scotland’s DNA.
“As RBST Scotland Group chair, I’m looking forward to encouraging more farmers and smallholders to consider choosing rare native breeds, and to benefiting these breeds and our conservation projects by growing the RBST network throughout Scotland. I’m also looking forward to working closely with breed societies, and to exploring opportunities to promote Scotland’s iconic native breeds alongside Scotland’s tourism and hospitality industries.”
Anyone interested in finding out more about the group and their plans for 2025, should email [email protected].
