Orkney farmer set for buffalo meat market

A SCOTTISH farmer is seeking to break into the mozzarella cheese and specialist buffalo meat market after introducing the first herd of the massive, horned beasts on to Orkney.

Water buffalo milk is used to make mozzarella. Picture: Wiki Commons

Twenty-five water buffalo arrived on the islands, at Deerness Farm, at the weekend

Orkney Buffalo is a family-run venture which owner Russell Bremner has plans to supply not only meat, but the famous Italian cheese, leather and buffalo milk.

He is predicting the low-cholesterol, nutritious product could become a huge hit.

The herd consists of 15 cows, a bull and nine calves.

They will shortly be added to as six of the cows are also pregnant and one will soon give birth to the first buffalo born on the island.

There are only two other buffalo herds in Scotland, one near Perth and one in the Borders.

Mr Bremner, who will run the business with his wife Naomi, believes buffalo are an obvious choice for farmers.

After more than a decade spent farming cattle, he said buffalo, by comparison, are “placid, very hardy and very intelligent”.