The Guernsey Cow

This is the view from our bedroom window this morning ;) Lucky to have such a view.

There has been much debate in the island (Guernsey) about the importing of milk from the UK. Our local dairy industry is very important to our little island - as well as the protection of the famous breed.


The Guernsey cow remains one of the most famous breeds in the world and is affectionately known as the Golden Guernsey due to the rich colour of her milk and hide.
? There have been no importations of cattle to the island since the early 19th century, which means that Guernsey is free from many cattle diseases that occur in the UK or mainland Europe.
? There are approximately 1,500 milking cows on the island at any one time with 1,200 others, mostly heifers (female animals 0-2 years of age) being reared as replacements for the existing population.
? In 1950s there were approximately 400 dairy farmers on the island caring for around 2,000 milking cows - an average of 5 cows per farm. Today, there are 18 working dairy farms that produce milk to meet the islands' liquid milk requirements.
? Following calving, each cow produces milk over a 10-month period (known as the lactation cycle).
? On average a dairy cow will produce approximately 5,500 litres of milk per year, although some cows in island herds now regularly produce in excess of 7,000 litres.
? Local herds produce approximately 8 million litres of milk per annum, 6.6 million litres of which is consumed locally as liquid milk - the remainder being used to produce milk products butter, cream, cheese and ice-cream.
? Each cow will eat approximately 15 tonnes of grass during the summer and about 12 tonnes of silage during winter. In addition to this, most cows will also consume 2 tonnes of imported cereal based feeds each year.
? Dairy cows can live to over 10 years of age.