A HARDY breed of beef cattle have found pastures new on a fellside above Penrith.

The 16 in-calf Luing heifers are grazing 500 acres oat Eycott Hill, next to Newton Rigg College's own uplands farm at Low Beckside Farm. The college has struck a partnership with Cumbria Wildlife Trust in which both will benefit.

Jonathan Fisher, Newton Rigg’s farms manager, said: “The Luings are particularly suited to the uplands, being a hardy breed which can live out all year round and cope with adverse weather conditions. Our other beef herd of Angus cattle winters indoors so the Luings will give students the experience of dealing with an outdoor herd’s needs, such as calving in the spring, and demonstrate the options open to farmers."

The cattle’s arrival is also expected to bring land management benefits, improving the environment for wildlife. David Harpley, Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s conservation manager, said: “We have been working to improve the habitat at Eycott Hill for some time now and having the Luings will be a valuable tool. Cattle are selective grazers and their movement helps plants to seed better.”

Luing cattle were originally bred on the Hebridean island of the same name and owe their hardiness to their Highland and Beef Shorthorn bloodlines.

Newton Rigg is part of Askham Bryan College and is home to the National Centre of the Uplands which leads on uplands education, skills and demonstration. The College offers a wide range of courses in agriculture including degrees, diplomas and apprenticeships and is the only college in the country to have its own hill farm and grouse moor.