Large Black (pig) - Conservation Status

Conservation Status

In 1954 there were 2195 Large Black pigs recorded, 269 licensed boars and 1926 registered sows, representing approximately 3.4% of the UK pig population of about 65,000. At the end of 2011 there were 421 Large Black pigs (86 boars and 335 sows) registered, a small increase over the 2010 figure of 405 (65 boars, 340 sows). The Large Black is the rarest historic pig breed in Britain, although numbers are slowly on the rise due to an increase in demand for meat from traditional pig breeds. In 2011 it was classified as "vulnerable" on the watchlist of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, meaning that there are believed to be between 200 and 300 breeding females. The British Pig Association currently recognizes 6 boar lines and 24 sow lines within the breed.

In 2004 the Rare Breeds Trust of Australia listed the status of the Large Black as "critical", meaning that sow registrations in the Australian Pure Bred Pig Herd Book of the Australian Pig Breeders Association were fewer than 30 per year.

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy estimated the Large Black population of the United States at 300 breeding hogs in 2008, and lists its status as "critical", which means that fewer than 200 animals are registered each year in the United States, and there are estimated to be fewer than 2,000 worldwide. The US population of Large Black pigs stood at around 300 as of 2008. Besides conservation for the sake of genetic diversity in livestock, the breed is also coming to be seen as a good option for fulfilling the needs of an increasing number of consumers interested in pasture-raised pork. Rare Breeds Canada identified the single remaining Canadian herd in 1997, and has since included the breed on its conservation watchlist as "endangered", with fewer than 500 of the animals in that country.