Herds of Aberdeen Angus bulls could soon be grazing 4,000 miles away in Central Asia.
Aberdeen’s Lord Provost Barney Crockett has revealed he has held talks on selling the iconic breed to Kazakhstan during meetings with the country’s ambassador Erlan Idrissov.
Mr Crockett said the government of the country were looking to expand their existing herd – but acknowledged there would be problems exporting live beasts such a distance.
Instead, they are looking at ways to either get sperm or eggs from the creatures over so the Kazaks can create their own herds of Aberdeen Angus on the steppes of central Asia. In recent years the local authority has looked to expand its image on the world stage.
The city has an agreement with numerous others across the globe including settlements in Korea, Colombia and Kazakhstan.
Council bosses are looking for new business opportunities in Asia, Africa and South America as they try to boost the city’s reputation on the world stage.
Mr Crockett said: “What they would like is live beasts, but there would be problems with that due to regulations on exporting animals and around their welfare.
“We are looking at providing sperm or eggs to help them create their own.
“Aberdeen Angus is one of the region’s most iconic brands that is known worldwide and the Kazaks are looking to increase the quality of their beef heard.
“We have a memorandum of understanding and this is just one of the things we are looking at.
“I think it shows that these agreements have real benefits to the north-east economy.”
Local authority leaders have emphasised the need to build relationships with countries outside Europe as uncertainty over the future relationship with the EU continues.
However critics have savaged the council strategy at a time when millions of pounds in cuts and savings will need to be made each year for the foreseeable future.
But last night Barrie Turner, chief executive of the Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society, welcomed the talks and stressed such relationships are vital in the lead-up to Brexit.
He said: “There are significant opportunities outwith the EU to be exploited, there’s a huge world out there.
“I think this is certainly a good idea for the future of agriculture in the north-east.
“There are significant numbers of Aberdeen Angus already out there and the safest way to transport the herds is certainly by eggs and embryo.
“This method prevents disease.”
