Breeders and local farmers have been angered by the decision of Britain's King Charles III to remove the historic Highland fold of cattle from the Balmoral Estate.

The news comes just 14 months after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who was a passionate advocate for both the cattle and ponies, having moved the Highland pony breeding programme some years ago to the Balmoral Estate to breed "true" Highland ponies which were used for carrying deer carcases off the 52,000-acre estate.

The Irish Farmers Journal was lucky enough to visit the estate in September and met with long-term farm manager Dochy Ormiston.

The 70-plus head of Highland cattle have been managed by Dochy for 18 years, with his wife Slyvia managing the Highland ponies.

Success

The ponies, cattle and a flock of 200 Cheviot-cross sheep ran on 1,300 acres of the lower parts of the estate, with a large proportion of Balmoral comprising bogland and forest.

Both species saw considerable success in the show ring under the Ormistons, with Gusgurlach of Balmoral - one of the herd's stock bulls - clinching the Royal Highland Show Highland championship in 2021 and 2022.

It is understood that the cattle and ponies will now be moved to Hampton Court Palace, near London.

The Balmoral fold is set to be moved to an estate near London.

It is unknown how many jobs will be affected by the move, with farm staff who also had been given accommodation on the estate possibly without a job or home.

The movement of the ponies and cattle is understood to be undertaken to make way for peatland restoration and for the creation of further smaller tenanted farms.