A DALE animal sanctuary will know in the coming weeks if it has been successful in bringing back a breed of pig that was declared extinct more than half a century ago.
The last known Cumberland pig died in 1962 but a programme to revive the breed is now well underway at Wetheriggs Animal Centre, near Greta Bridge.
Cumberland pigs were the original ingredient in Cumbria’s famous sausage of the same name.
DNA samples from a new litter born at Wetheriggs are currently being analysed at Newcastle University to see how close they are to the original breed.
Centre owner Terry Bowes began the project several years ago but had to put it on hold when the shelter moved from Penrith to Teesdale. The Open University and Stafford University are also involved in the project.
Mr Bowes said the closest the breeding project had achieved so far was a 96 per cent match but the pigs had to be loaned out during the move. During this time they were bred with other breeds.
However, the latest litter closely resembles the Cumberland breed.
He said: “Head-wise they look the part, body length they look the part, but the coat needs to be more course.”
A DNA sample from an original Cumberland pig hide found the original breed is a mixture of Tamworth, Gloucester old spot and Polynesian kunekune pigs.
It is getting the right balance from the gene pool that is proving difficult.
Mr Bowes said five female and one male piglets from the current litter will be bred on differently to “see if we can home it in”.
The aim is to get a 98 per cent DNA match.
Mr Bowes attributed the breed’s extinction to modern practice and believes that people are missing out on the true taste of Cumberland sausage because of this.
He added: “The big problem is how slow it takes to mature. They don’t mature nearly as quickly as a commercial pig.”
He said the taste of pork is enhanced by fat which drips through the meat during cooking. This flavour is missing from lean commercial pigs.
People can see the pigs as part of a visit to the sanctuary.
