Guernsey Cows Resilient To 'Moo-dy' Weather

The president of the Guernsey Farmers Association says the iconic Guernsey cow is coping, despite almost 63% more rainfall last month, than the February average.

Guernsey Met figures show the island had 123.4mm of rainfall in February 2024 - which is almost 50mm more than the 30-year average.

Michael Bray, the President of the Guernsey Farmers Association, says the pasture land is his main concern:

"The water table is literally to the surface now, so every drop of rain we get now is filling up every hoof print and area left.

It's certainly proving a bit of a challenge.

We've still got animals outside, so we have to keep moving them regularly, which does damage the fields, so we have to be conscious of that.

Come the spring, there is going to be a huge amount of work tidying up everywhere, and making it all look nice and green and lush again."

Mr Bray says the cattle have evolved to cope with the winter weather:

"The Guernsey cows are a very resilient breed as it is, they are very adaptable.

Once they have been outside for a few weeks, they generally put on another layer of hair and fur and it's actually better for them if they stay outside. If you bring them inside again then they start sweating, and develop pneumonia and other health issues.

All we can do is our best, to keep them full of food and happy."

This pictorial, released by Guernsey Met, shows just how unusually wet February was.