Holstein UK Master Breeder Awards honour for owners of Portadown and Lurgan's Glasson and Kilvergan dairy herds
The owners of two dairy herds in Co Armagh have received prestigious awards from Holstein UK.
The Haffey families from the Glasson and Kilvergan dairy herds in Poradown and Lurgan were presented with Holstein UK Master Breeder Awards by Holstein UK president Mark Logan at the recent Balmoral Show.
Their achievement has been recognised by Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart who attended the awards ceremony and said she was delighted to be able to celebrate with this year’s recipients.
“Huge congratulations to my constituents, Philip and Simon Haffey from the Glasson Herd at Portadown; and Stephen, Timothy, David and Aaron Haffey, from the Lurgan-based Kilvergan Herd.
"Awards like this reflect years of hard work, dedication and commitment to maintaining the highest standards. Recognition that is thoroughly deserved,” she said.
Holstein NI secretary John Martin explained that the highly coveted award is the pinnacle of success for Holstein UK members.
"It recognises herds that breed and produce outstanding cattle with a high standard of production, conformation, health and longevity.
"Holstein UK names 10 recipients annually. Three Northern Ireland herds were ranked in the 2026 top 10 – Glasson, Kilvergan and Redhouse at Dungannon. Their achievement is testimony to the high calibre of stockmanship and pedigree Holstein cattle on local farms.”
The remaining seven winners are located in England, Scotland and Wales.
Society president Mark Logan added: “Congratulations to the high-performing herds. The Glasson and Redhouse prefixes also achieved Master Breeder status in 2016.”
The Glasson Herd comprises of 150 cows and 200 followers. The herd is milked twice daily, producing an average yield of 10,635kgs at 4.56% butterfat and 3.51% protein per cow per year.
Prominent black and white cow families include Carlin, Twizzle, Erle, Roxy, Flo, Frantisco, Katrysha, Gail, Balise, Glora, Sara, Ashlyn, Atlee, Kitty, Fleur, Danoise and Paige.
Red and white cow families include Irene, Apple, Kandie, Jacuzzi and Lemonade.
The herd has had numerous achievements, including Glasson Goldwyn Glora, number one cow in the world for genomic type with a PTAT of 4.34; top price of 14,000gns at the 2020 Summer Sizzler Sale with Glasson Moo Irene and many other awards.
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The Kilvergan herd in Lurgan is managed by Stephen Haffey and his three sons, Timothy, David and Aaron.
The 350-cow herd has been operating an indoor robotic system since 2013, producing an average individual yield of 13,045kgs at 4.26% butterfat and 3.45% protein.
Prominent cow families include Amy, Ashlyn, Carlin, Erle, Ethel, Jodie and Laurie Shiek, as well as a number of home-bred graded-up families.
The dairy herd was established by William Haffey in the 1950s, and pedigree registration commenced in the 1980s.
In 2025, the Kilvergan prefix won best large herd, best junior cow and cow family in the senior section of Holstein NI’s annual Herds inspection Competition.
In the past, the herd has won reserve champion at the Irish National Holstein Show and honourable mention at the Royal Ulster Winter Fair. More recently, there have been numerous champions and reserve champions at the Dungannon Dairy Sale.