Aberdeen-Angus return success.

Byline: By Anna Lognonne

Returning to Aberdeen-Angus has reaped rewards for Berwickshire farmer Douglas Tweedie, who was runner-up in the breed society's suckler herd of the year competition.

Mr Tweedie, of Middlethird, Gordon, used to have a pedigree herd of Aberdeen-Angus cattle in the 1960s and early 70s but decided to switch to continental cattle because he felt the Angus just wasn't big enough to meet market demands.

But Mr Tweedie has always had a soft spot for the breed and as he grew disillusioned with the continentals ( which he said lacked longevity ( he decided to take a fresh look at the breed. He wasn't disappointed.

"They had improved so much, thanks to the introduction of Canadian bloodlines. I was just amazed. I like the Angus because they don't have horns, they're tough, and they can put on the flesh without over-feeding," he said.

Now he buys his pedigree Aberdeen-Angus stock bulls direct from John Elliot, of the Rawburn herd, to run with his suckler herd of 140 cows, which boast Aberdeen-Angus and continental bloodlines ( a combination that Mr Tweedie says produces the right conformation in a suckler cow.

The calves are finished at about 20 months on the upland farm, using home-grown silage, straw and barley, which are put through a Keenan feeder, along with oil seed rape meal. They are sold, at a premium, to Waitrose, which uses the Dovecote Park slaughtering facility.

When it comes to buying a stock bull, Mr Tweedie knows exactly what he is looking for.

"He must be able to walk, he must have length and he must have good conformation and a second thigh," he said.

"At the end of the day, you have to look at the bits that people are going to eat. I remember when I used to breed pedigree cattle, a German farmer saying to me that he liked a bull to have `meaty trousers.' I think that sums it up."

Mr Tweedie, who is married to Senga and has two children Jamie and Louise, employs three men to help him on his 1,050-acre upland farm. About 600 acres is used to grow arable crops ( including oats which are sold to the equestrian industry ( and the rest of the land is classified as LFA. It supports a flock of 800 ewes.

Middlethird has been in the family since 1935 and when Mr Tweedie retires, his son, who is currently a captain in the Army and is working as an adjutant in Catterick, plans to take over the reins.

The winner of the Bank of Scotland Aberdeen-Angus Suckler Herd of the Year award for 2004 was Ross-shire beef producer Finlay Munro of Balaldie, Fearn.

Mr Munro runs a herd of 140 Aberdeen-Angus and Limousin cross cows on his 600 acres coastal LFA farm, all of which are crossed with Aberdeen-Angus bulls. Two-thirds of the calves are sold store and a third finished on the farm.

He uses Aberdeen-Angus because he has found they are more profitable and the heifers are ideal as replacement suckler cows. "I have tried other breeds, including the Simmental and Limousin, but have come back to Aberdeen-Angus," he said.