Luing Breed Finally Reach Irish Republic

IRELAND - As feed costs continue to rise the importance of breeding cows that can forage on the hills and produce a calf each year without incuring large feeding costs becomes more important.
calendar icon 22 January 2008
clock icon 2 minute read

The Luing Breed was evolved for this purpose by the Cadzow brothers on the Island of Luing which is situated off the West Coast of Scotland. The breed was created in the 1940's from Beef Shorthorn and Highlander bloodlines, with the British Government officially recognised the Luing as a breed in its own right in 1965.

The Luing breed is renowned for its hardiness and outwintering ability, its capacity to convert low quality forage into a good calf at weaning time and its longevity – reduced housing costs, less expensive feeding and decreased requirements for replacement – all very pertinent to beef producers of today.

Colin Gleeson from Prosperous has watched the breed for several years now and is pioneering their reintroduction to the Irish Republic having become the first active member of the Luing Cattle Society from that country.


Benhar Heifers about to leave for Eire

Three pedigree Luing heifers, in-calf to the well known bull, Benhar Dynamite, this week left the McNee family farm Woodend Farm at Armadale, West Lothian bound for Mr Gleeson's Farms in Naas, County Kildare.

It is understood that in the very early days of the breed Luings were exported to Eire but pedigree status was never maintained and no progeny recorded.

This is all about to change with Colin hopeful that some of the heifers will produce heifer calves in the Spring, giving an increase in herd size right away.

These heifers were, in fact, scheduled to reach their new home in mid August, ready to be displayed by the Luing Cattle Society at the Irish Ploughing Match at Tullamore in September - but movement restrictions put paid to that.

The promotion went ahead without live cattle and attracted a lot of interested suckler cow breeders, some of whom have already made follow up visits to herds in the UK.

It is now hoped that the breed can be put on show when the same event is held in Kilkenny in 2008 and anticipated that these three heifers will be the first of many to make their way to the Republic.

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