The Heathfield & District Agricultural Show on Saturday 24th May is set to showcase all that's best in farming in the south east. Visitors to the show should keep a special look out for the Sussex Cattle - one of the High Weald's most distinctive agricultural heroes. Their deep red coats make them easy to spot - not just against the traditional green of an English landscape, but also in corners of some far-flung foreign fields.
Due to their longevity and adaptability, Sussex Cattle have made their mark around the world; with thriving communities in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zambia, USA and Canada. They cope well with harsh climates and inhospitable grazing conditions, adapt to most management systems, are easy to handle due to their history as draft animals and provide high quality prime beef.
"Sussex Cattle were originally triple-purpose animals that worked the land as well as giving meat and milk." Explains Jason Lavender, Co-Director of the High Weald AONB. "They made particularly useful draught oxen, which gave them their hardy constitutions and symmetrical proportions. They gained popularity in hot climates as they have twice as many sweat glands as other European breeds."
Sussex Cattle have evolved over hundreds of years - it is generally accepted that the Sussex breed of today is descended directly from the red cattle that inhabited the dense woods of the High Weald at the time of the Norman Conquest.
For more information please contact:
Sue Kennedy, Sussex Cattle Society, Station Road,
Robertsbridge, East Sussex TN32 5DG. 01580 880105
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http://sussexcattlesociety.org.uk