| Daisy is replaced by Posh, Becks and Kylie | |
|  | | The fascination with celebrities has now spread to the farm |
| | Farmers are jumping onto the celebrity bandwagon by given their livestock names like Posh and Becks.
It's a trend that has been made popular by the long running BBC radio serial 'The Archers'. |
|  | | Posh is a cow and so is Camilla, Madonna and Kylie, according to a new survey that shows farmers are naming their cattle after well-known celebrities.
The National Farmers' Union study, which interviewed 200 farmers in England and Wales, found that rather than calling their cattle by traditional names, modern farmers are naming their herd after stars of pop, film, sports and royalty.
Beckham has replaced Buttercup, Denzel has trampled on Daisy and Madonna is more likely to moo than Marigold.
The telephone survey found a diverse range of names including the old favourites like Daisy or Marigold, but it also threw up a crop of "cool" new names, with animals christened after celebrities including Beckham, Bergkamp, Brooklyn, Camilla, Denzel, Kylie and Posh.
 | | Is this beast a Posh, a Madonna or a Kyle? |
More than 60% of farmers questioned confirmed they gave names to their animals.
Their reasons ranged from simple book-keeping to sentimentality on the part of the farmer and to relax the animals.
Many farmers admitted to drawing on the love life of their youth, naming their dairy cows after ex-girlfriends.
Daughters, mothers and grandmothers also provided inspiration.
The popular radio soap, The Archers, may have have started the trend.
The show features two cows called Baby Spice and Ginger Spice as well as a pony named after Chandler in TV's Friends, a pig called Playboy, a dog called JR and a turkey called Clint.
NFU Deputy President Tim Bennett is himself a farmer of 70 pedigree Holstein cows near Camarthen, Wales, all of which have names, including Priscilla and Penelope.
He said: "The influence of celebrities is just as likely to be felt in a farmer's field as in cities and towns. These days Marigold, Bluebell and Buttercup have to compete with Kylie and Posh.
"More importantly, our study shows that dairy cows are very much part of the family on a farm and are cared for accordingly.
"Giving them names strengthens the emotional bond that farmers have with them," he said.
 | previous farming news |  |
| | | |
|
|
