The sustainable Shetland cow that combines beauty and usefulness

Helen Babbs meets the small Scottish cow that's perfect for smallholders

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Mention Shetland livestock for smallholdings, and most people think of ponies. But these most northerly islands in the UK are also home to a rare breed of cattle, termed "kye" in the local Shetland dialect. These are believed to date back to the Iron Age settlers or earlier, and for centuries provided milk, meat and haulage power on the islands. Commercial agricultural pressures in the 20th century reduced their numbers, with Shetland cattle being listed as "At risk" on the RBST Watchlist. But with increased interest in sustainable agriculture and local heritage, these hardy cattle are making a comeback. Highly adaptable, they are well worth a place on mainland UK smallholdings too.

"We chose Shetland cattle because we wanted to support a rare breed, and to have something Scottish," says Rosemary Champion, who has a ten acre smallholding outside Carnoustie, in Angus.

"We started our Rosedean Shetland herd in 2010, with two heifers down from Shetland -Breeze and Blizzard. We still have Blizzard, she's the herd matriarch, along with three other heifers, all descended from her, and a bull. Each one is different, they're real characters."

AT FIRST GLANCE

In build, Shetland cows are small and stocky, but not a miniature breed like Dexters. "They're not Shetland ponies!" Rosemary exclaims. "Typically, the line of their backs comes up to the top of a five-bar gate, which is a whole lot smaller than your average Charolais or Holstein." In their native islands, the cows weigh about 450kg, but Rosemary has found that on richer pasture, they grow larger. "Our biggest girl is about 700kg, and we had a mature bull who killed out at 625kg deadweight."