A limited number of beef cuts from rare White Park cattle reared on North Yorkshire's Howardian Hills have been made available to buy.

Ripon-based Farmison & Co, the sustainable online meat retailer, has offered a small batch of meat– enough for around 100 customers – after securing its first supply from the White Park cattle herd at Potter Hill Farm.

The farm, close to Hovingham, cares for a herd of around 30 White Park cows and calves and is playing an important role in the revival of the breed which is one of the most ancient in Britain.

The cows are known for their distinctive wide horns and are now the symbol of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

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After featuring on the British landscape for more than 2,000 years, they came perilously close to extinction in the 1970s as other commercial breeds grew in popularity.

But they have since made a comeback as demand for heritage-breed meat has increased.

Farmison & Co, through its “eat them to save them” campaign, actively promotes and encourages the rearing of rare and heritage breeds and last year established its own White Park herd in Wensleydale with farmer Stuart Raw.

John Pallagi, founder of Farmison & Co, said: “It’s very exciting to be working with Potter Hill Farm to offer our customers a small taste of White Park and for us both to play our part in helping to revive this wonderful breed."

The range of cuts of White Park beef includes silverside and topside joints, diced beefsteak, mince, and various steaks.

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