Buffalo meats launched by Northern Irish farm business

A range of buffalo meat products has been launched in Northern Ireland as part of the latest farm diversification project.

The meats - steaks, burgers and sausages - have been developed by Ballyriff Farm, which is located near Magherafelt in county Derry, by farm owner Michael O'Brien, who has a 40-strong buffalo herd.

O'Brien gave up beef farming and turned to buffalo in a bid to develop niche products to improve the prospects for the small family farm, now the only buffalo producer on Northern Ireland and one of just two on the island of Ireland.

"Price volatility has meant that making any sort of decent margin on beef is very difficult. I had heard about buffalo and decided to find out more for myself. This eventually led me to buy some animals from Italy.

He's already supplying the buffalo meat to leading hotels in Northern Ireland and has launched a drive to increase awareness of the health benefits of the meat.

"Buffalo meat has been described as old traditional styled meat because of its distinctively meaty flavour, slightly sweeter than cow beef," he says.

"However, buffalo contains half the fat of ordinary meat and between 40-60 per cent lower in cholesterol. It also has twice as much calcium and protein as beef and has the added benefit of providing more energy with fewer calories," he says.

Buffalo, he continues do not eat any processed meal and have a natural diet consisting of grass and silage. "The buffalo is a naturally robust animal that does not require any veterinary intervention and so is completely drug-free. No BSE has ever been recorded in buffalo," he adds.

The buffalo herd is being raised on the family run and quality assured 30-acre farm in the foothills of the picturesque Sperrin Mountain range. The meat is dry-aged and hung for at least 28 days.

As well as developing the meat business, Mr O'Brien has plans to explore the opportunities to use the milk to produce a buffalo mozzarella cheese. The only buffalo mozzarella cheese in Ireland is currently being produced at a farm in Macroom, Cork. He also plans to double the size of his buffalo herd in the near future.