Irish Moiled

The Irish Moiled is a one of the rarest cattle breeds from Ireland. It is a dual purpose breed, producing both beef and milk.

Overview

In the Irish language Moile means the dome on the polled or hornless head [ [http://www.irishmoiledcattlesociety.com/ The Irish Moiled Cattle Society] ] . The breed is typically red in colour marked by a white line or 'finching' on the back and under parts, but can vary from white with red ears to nearly all red. A medium sized breed, a mature cow typically weighs 650 Kg.

A breed society was established in 1926 to improve the breed, but by the 1970s less than thirty cows were left in two herds. In 1982 the society was re-established with help from the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and Liverpool University, and set up a DNA testing program to verify the pedigrees. in 2008 aconservation strategy has been launched to maintain the genetic base of the breed. There are now some 140 breeders including 40 in mainland Britain. The United Kingdom government makes incentive payments to farmers conserving the breed in Northern Ireland [ [http://archive.nics.gov.uk/ard/060426c-ard.htm UK Agricultue Department press release] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.irishmoiledcattlesociety.com/ The Irish Moiled Cattle Society]