09 January, 2012

Fleckvieh cows have been labelled "perfect" by a Somerset dairy farmer.

Tom Voizey, who has kept the animals at Marsh Farm near Crewkerne for four years, described to the Farmers Guardian how he "fell in love" with the cows when an agent took him to see some in The Netherlands.

He explained that the cows average about 7,000 litres of milk each year, but this is not the only benefit of the breed. They also boast good fertility, good feet and strong fitness - in his opinion.

Mr Voizey predicted that Fleckvieh could be the future, even if they are not currently bred much in Britain. He said: "I really believe the Fleckvieh has a lot to offer the UK dairy industry as a pedigree breed, and not just as part of a cross-breeding programme."

Although cross-breeding is typical practice, in-breeding is something which is an increasing issue for UK farmers. Farmers Weekly revealed that in-breeding levels in the UK stand at about two per cent, but are rising by 0.13 percentage points annually.

Writing for the agricultural publication, UK Worldwide Mating Service genetic consultant Neil Greggor urged farmers to first find out the levels of in-breeding in their stock and then work on reducing them, since the problem can lead to losses in productivity.

Source: Vertical Leap