A HERD of hundreds of cows have taken up a new tipple in a bid to boost their health.

A 360-strong herd reared at Acorn Dairy’s farm near Darlington are thriving on apple cider vinegar to fight off infection during the winter months.

Somatic cell counts, indicting infections in dairy cows, have plunged by 20 per cent since introducing around 90ml of the sour snifter into each cow’s daily silage feed.

Bosses at the Archdeacon Newton-based facility decided to use the natural antiseptic product after attending a conference organised by the Organic Milk Supply Cooperative (OMSCO).

Acorn Dairy director, Graham Tweddle, said: “OMSCO arranged a study trip to visit organic milk producers in America and the single biggest thing to come out of it was the use of apple cider vinegar.

“Over there it’s used to prevent and also cure a range of ailments.”