sign in sign up
<<
Home , Golden Guernsey, Guernsey, Guernsey cattle

8 Thursday 4 July 2013 WEEKLY PRESS GUERNSEY WEEKLY PRESS Thursday 4 July 2013 9

THE BIG READ...... THE GUERNSEY COW Keeping it pure

A team of farmers, scientists and other interested parties from around the world are helping to preserve the purebred Guernsey cow. (1331057) It’s rich in the beta-casein A2 element that has Australians like Dannii Minogue hooked – but how many of us think about the we splash on our cereals each morning? With the number of purebred Guernsey cows in decline and an EU programme for minority breeds offering support, should we be worrying about the future of our iconic breed? Martyn Tolcher talks to ‘Mr Guernsey Cow’ Bill Luff and discovers that

the appliance of science is key to preserving the breed Former farmer and guardian of the Guernsey breed Bill Luff with Julian Ogier’s herd at Le Hechet Farm, St Saviour’s. The island’s farmers have been busily preparing their and properties for visits by the 70-plus delegates attending the World Guernsey Conference. (Pictures by Tom Tardif, 1331062)

OR generations, the golden non-US citizen to receive a Distinguished hen we splash our Guernsey milk Herd Book Council. present itself in the best possible light. Guernsey cow has been an Service Award from the American onto our breakfast cereal, we have In the pre-digital age, it was a laborious The island’s dairy farmers have spruced GOLDEN, GUERNSEY iconic fixture on our island Guernsey Association, there is no need to Wlittle idea of all the scientific work process that was all done on paper, but ‘The breed in numbers is quite small. We’re a tiny up their properties for visits by the 70 or landscape. panic just yet. that goes into monitoring this unique today computers are used extensively to so delegates who flew in on Sunday and AND GLAMOROUS The idea of losing our world- ‘I don’t think we need to worry, provided local product and the animals that calculate the breeding value of every ship on a massive ocean of Holstein cows... Every began their stay with an evening vin famous cattle breed is that we take a proper, scientific produce it. single animal, based on production, d’honneur hosted by the Bailiff at Castle unthinkableF but throughout , approach,’ he said, pointing towards the A highly technical system is needed to health and conformation traits. breed, virtually, has been Holsteinised and the only Cornet. many other pure dairy breeds have fallen success of the Guernsey global breeding record milk yields, while data covering ‘There are very sophisticated computer The delegates were also due to be special HE certainly looks the picture of health by the wayside. programme that was introduced locally every aspect of the make-up of Guernsey programmes available and one we’re absolute pure dairy breeds left in the guests at yesterday’s RGA&HS Annual Son it. And milk with the unique qualities And one man who knows more than in 2002. milk – fat, protein, somatic cell count using is from NordGen, which is an Cattle Show at Saumarez Park. offered by the Guernsey product are gaining most what it will take to keep ‘the ‘The cattle have improved massively and cow conformation traits – is sent institution under the Nordic Council of are the Guernsey, the and the Holstein’ According to Bill, there’s much for them popularity in the UK, thanks to an Guernsey’ going is Bill Luff, the since then and there have been huge first to University and then to Ministers,’ Bill revealed. ‘It’s called Eva to appreciate. advertising campaign headed by celebrity secretary of the World improvements in conformation and in a laboratory in Uppsala in for and you need to feed in all your pedigree ‘We can show the people who come here Dannii Minogue (pictured). . production,’ he continued analysis. information and then you feed in all your Bill Luff, World Guernsey Cattle Federation secretary that we have the best genetic herd in the In , the golden product is prized as For nearly half a century, Bill has been ‘But the thing that’s worrying us now is Bill, who is now 67, has seen incredible genetic evaluations, and just for our British Isles, the Jaonnet herd owned by a significantly healthier alternative to the working alongside many others to keep the rate of increase per generation in changes in the way data is gathered and small population of maybe 1,200 cows, it Mike Bray, which was also the highest- milk from practically all other breeds, thanks the breed genetically strong and pure. inbreeding has reached about one per analysed since he began his recording will give us the highest genetic gain for cycle’ of cows calving once every year. price of ordinary milk there.’ yielding herd last year. This year the to the beta casein A2 protein it contains. It has not been an easy battle. With cent. That’s a little bit too high and we duties for the Royal Guernsey the least inbreeding. It’s amazing how ‘There’s ample evidence to show that highest-yielding herd of Guernseys in the The difference lies with the proteins found delegates gathering this week for the need to plan for that because we need to Agricultural and Horticultural Society at good it is.’ cows under less pressure are more ith the World Guernsey British Isles is Mike Cox’s herd in in cow milk. The vast majority of dairy herds Federation’s 14th world conference, think of the breed in 100 years’ time and the age of 22, when he became the economic and make the farmers more Conference on home ground, the .’ across the globe produce milk with the which will be the first to be held in not just today.’ youngest ever member of its prestigious or Bill and his fellow guardians of money,’ he explained. Wlocal dairy industry is anxious to Bill is also intensely proud that the local protein beta casein A1, while around 96% Guernsey for 21 years, they will be left the breed, there has been one Bill certainly knows a good animal when society is hosting the conference, which of Guernsey cows produce milk that under no illusion as to the scale of the Fexciting recent development that has he sees one and his experience in the is staged in turns by the breed society contains only the beta casein A2 protein. challenge that lies ahead. given them further cause for optimism. field goes back to his childhood when he countries every three years, for the first Based on scientific research, many milk ‘The breed in numbers is quite small – Guernseys are now being included in a used to help out at Ashburton in the time since 1992. lovers in Oz are convinced that the we’re a tiny ship on a massive ocean of new programme with a Lower Rohais, where his great ‘It’s a great honour,’ he enthused. ‘It’s consumption of A1 milk can lead to lactose Holstein cows,’ Bill explained. budget of four million euros that is grandfather was a breeder of some note. also a great responsibility and there are intolerance and other health problems while ‘You’ve only got to look around the world aimed at supporting minority breeds Then, when he was still only 18, he and so many people involved in working hard A2 milk is a much more benign product. to see the number of breeds of farm throughout the continent. ‘It’s designed his twin brother managed to secure a for this. Pretty well every farmer is Some scientists have published studies that have been lost, and the to help us with genomic evaluations for loan to rent Les Frances Farm. They involved. showing A1 milk can even worsen the biggest loss has been in Europe. our cattle,’ he explained. built the business up from 10 or a dozen ‘I think we need to work a little closer symptoms of autism in children, although ‘Every breed, virtually, has been ‘With genomics, we would know the day cows to between 65 and 70 at the time of than we have in the past but cattle this particular research is hotly contested. Holsteinised and the only absolute pure an animal was born, with quite a high his retirement in the late 1990s. breeders are very individualistic people. Either way, A2 milk now accounts for dairy breeds left in the British Isles are accuracy, what its breeding value would Today his passion for the golden breed Maybe we can influence a little bit what around six per cent of the market in the Guernsey, the Jersey and the be. We’re involved in it [the EU and the milk it produces is undiminished they do to ensure a secure future for the Australia, even though it is twice as Holstein.’ programme] through the English and again there is a good scientific breed and if we can get some actions in expensive as its much more Guernsey Cattle Society and their explanation as to why our cows are a cut place, that would be great.’ common A1 uernsey cattle breeders from North representative is Dr Maurice Bichard, a above the rest: ‘The interesting thing For Bill and his colleagues within the counterpart. America, , Australia, Guernseyman who is a world famous about Guernseys is that they have unique ’s dairy-farming community, the The challenge for the GNew Zealand and the UK are in the geneticist. He’s done a tremendous qualities, particularly in their milk. bottom line is to ensure a continuous delegates at this island for the WGCF conference and all amount for us in the island and I’ve been ‘It has more protein and more beta- supply of the milk that week’s World around the world the picture is the same. working with him on that.’ carotene, which is what makes the is an intrinsic part of island life. ‘That’s Guernsey Cattle The number of purebred ‘Guernseys’ is Guernsey milk a golden colour, and also really what it’s all about,’ he concluded. Federation in decline and globally there are fewer ill is anxious to point out that the the protein in Guernsey milk is an ‘And then we hope that around the world conference is to than 15,000 cows that are classified as overriding aim of the Guernsey interesting protein. It’s over 96% beta- we will increase the numbers of come up with ideas being genetically suitable for making a Bbreeding programme is to have casein A2, which is the original protein Guernsey cows again. That would be a for keeping the breed contribution towards future breed healthy, productive cows that are easy to that every cow did carry, and there is great outcome.’ pure and making improvement. manage and free from any major health some evidence that Guernsey milk could its milk remains The situation seem daunting but, problems. He added that those managing be better for your health. There is a big an undiluted according to Bill, who has been WGCF Guernsey’s home cattle population were market for A2 milk, especially in Packed with goodness, Guernsey milk is pleasure. secretary since 1989 and is the only Mike Bray’s Jaonnet herd was the UK’s highest-yielding last year. (1282197) trying to ‘get back to the more natural Australia, even though it’s twice the increasingly sought after around the world.