Report from our travels in Germany, 2026

Green energy, tidy yards, massive expanses of arable land, high speeds on autobahns, dual purpose cows and sheds of beef cattle. 

This September, the Irish British Friesian Club visited Germany on a tour. A lot of kilometers, a lot of cows and a lot of generous hospitality.

Ten of us set off on Monday September 7th to Bremen via Schipol. Six of us got a bonus roadtrip from Schipol to our hotel that night, heading out the Utrecht road from Amsterdam. Anyway, we made it safely, and all ten of us headed off (at speed) Tuesday morning with our guides, Benedikt and Regis from GGI Spermex.

First stop was a bull show & sale for Holsteins outside Bremen where each animal was presented by a team of people, turned out to perfection, and every animal halter trained. The effort and pride were obvious.

Next stop was an organic farm with DSN cows. DSN are the German equivalent of British Friesian cows. Eada and her parents milk nearly 200 cows, mostly DSN, and finish bullocks to beef. She runs her farm well and the system suits her available land and labour as she concentrates over the next seven years on improving the return on the beef side of her enterprise.

After a delicious lunch in Eada's shed, it was off to a high yielding herd with a shed several of us felt we could actually happily live in. Both farms were slap bang in the middle of neat villages, with traditional German sheds constructed with massive wooden beams and redbrick. Very attractive.

Day two started with Thies and his dual purpose herd (DN) of https://www.ggi-spermex.de/en/further-breeds/red-white-dual-purpose-500.html A stunning set up, with off-the-charts figures, comfort for the animals, and a culture of tidiness in the operation that had us swooning.

Then it was over to Karsten to see the same breed and system, but with more pasture in the mix and while less focused on the figures, Karsten's "gut", which he admits he relies on for all decisions, isn't leading him astray.

Afternoon of Wednesday saw our big transfer, driving for nearly 5 hours through Germany, from outside Hamburg, down through what was formerly East Germany, to a vineyard outside Wittenberg. Here, the local DSN breeders were having a barbecue and invited us to join them. A real meeting of minds, with interesting wines and good food in a stunning setting.

Our hotel that night was in Wittenberg where Martin Luther kicked off the Protestant Reformation. A beautiful town, very historic, with an Irish pub which some of the tour felt obliged to inspect.

Day three was really the main event. A focus on the DSN  breed at three different farms in ownership structures carried over from before the reunification of Germany in 1990. This was a morning with history and cows mingled with an immersive tour of quality DSN cows in the RBB stud.

After a delicious lunch, it was time to express our sincere gratitude to Benedikt and Regis. To Benedikt, for answering the club's initial email enquiry, and then taking the time to arrange a thought provoking, expansive and relevant tour. To Regis for quietly and patiently driving the minibus with, most of the time, hands on the steering wheel and speeds sub-145 km/h.

From what we saw, some important take home messages include:

• The advantage of dual purpose: where you have the space and facilities to create a shed of beef it is a very valuable savings plan and cashflow booster. Karsten, Thies and Eada all exemplified that and spoke candidly about the importance of their beef cattle to their farms' economics. 
• Green energy investment in Germany: kilometre after kilometre, hour after hour, driving through Germany over three days we saw countless wind turbines and fields of solar panels. In particular the wind turbines seemed to coexist comfortably with the fields of maise and other crops. From talking to farmers over there, the bio-digestion figures aren't as attractive as in previous years, and the process is complex. 
• Generous attitude to comfort: yards, dairies, sheds...there was a tidiness and organisation that wasn't forced. It was just the way things are done. There were weeds, cobwebs, puddles - all completely normal in farm yards. But there was plenty of evidence of touches and thought around animal and human comfort and pride. Flowers, tidiness, places for things, and things left in their places. Large dedicated, spacious and organised washing up areas for calf rearing equipment. Just making things easier and more pleasant for the farmer, team and animals. 

A busy but productive trip, with plenty of craic and cultural exchange. An importnat part of that exchange was the introduction to Benedikt and Regis of the wisdom and wit of Killinaskully. 

Best to leave it there for now!