Queen’s Ayrshire herd up for sale

Farmers Weekly have heard through the grapevine that the Queen’s 180 cow pedigree Ayrshire herd is to be dispersed through the Ayrshire Cattle Society over the coming months.

Established by King George VI in 1951, the Windsor-based herd was passed to Queen Elizabeth II shortly after his death and has been run by the Royal household ever since.

This news has great pertinence to me, as I learnt most of my dairying knowledge milking this high profile herd.

Whether the dispersal of such a prominant herd is a result of the state of the industry remains to be seen, however it does bring home that no one is immune to the pressure faced by the dairy sector at the present time.

Watch this space as to how the story develops…….