A Welsh Black cow from Pembrokeshire has been confirmed as the best of her breed in the country after a succession of wins at shows across the UK.

Dancoed Ceridwen 3rd, bred by Gwynfryn and Marian Phillips, of Dancoed, Gwaun Valley, was named as female of the year in the Welsh Black Cattle Society’s bull and female of the year competition.

Not only did she win that accolade but, because she scored more points than the top bull, she was named the overall champion too.

To qualify for the competition, an animal must be entered in 18 qualifying shows, with the eight most successful results taken into account.

Dancoed Ceridwen 3rd, a three-year-old home bred in-calf heifer, won the female Welsh Black champion and reserve supreme breed championship at the Royal Welsh Show.

The Phillipses, who run a herd of ten breeding Welsh black cows and followers, say it has been an incredible year for them.

“We guessed she would be female of the year because of the points she had scored, but with 70 points compared to the top bull’s score of 63 she was overall champion too,” said Mr Phillips.

Gwynfryn’s family had always milked Jerseys but when he married Marian and moved to Dancoed they established a hardy Welsh Black herd to suit the terrain.

During the winter the cows and calves are housed at night but the followers are out all year round.

The herd thrives on grass and silage but the show cattle also get a ration of concentrates including barley, fattening nuts and beet pulp.

In 2007 the Phillipses won bull of the year with a half brother to Dancoed Ceridwen — Dancoed Cymro 13th. A close runner-up in the bull of the year competition this year was Gwarcwm Max 10th, a two-and-a-half-year-old bred by D. Huw Jones, of Lletty Cynnes, Bow Street, Cardigan.

The Gwarcwm Herd, established in 1990, has had numerous awards at shows and sales and a young Gwarcwm bull was exported to Germany in May 2007.