Freeze branding’s veteran expert George Winslade from Upwey in Dorset is the oldest known freeze brander in the UK.

At 81, George still practices, partly as a hobby, and partly to teach others the skill involved.

Having spent over sixty years in farming, including significant periods in both New Zealand and Africa, George has also taught the subject at Kingston Maurward College in Dorchester for nearly thirty years.

During a career spanning six decades, one of George’s most notable achievements was his involvement in the blood testing for Brucellosis epidemic in 1971.

Since he was instrumental in the eradication of the disease and needed a new career path, he turned to freeze branding in the early 1980s.

Freeze branding is the permanent identification of horses and cattle. It has great visibility from a distance providing a clear mark, enabling easy identification of cattle and a long term security code.

The process involves using a super cold iron by freezing with liquid nitrogen to alter the colour pigment-producing cells in the skin. The result is that white or colourless hair instead of coloured hair grows at the brand site.

The branding iron is held on the animal’s skin for thirty seconds, destroying the colour follicles at the brand site so that they no longer produce pigment. The hair continues to grow, resulting in the hair at the brand site containing no colour, and appears white.

On light coloured animals the bald appearance is desirable, and the branding iron is kept on the animal for a few seconds longer, killing the entire hair follicle but leaving the skin undamaged.

Dairy Manager Nigel Allen said: “George is unstoppable. He’s been teaching at Kingston Maurward College for 40 years, you just don’t get that sort of knowledge these days. It’s an honour to have him teaching here, the students really benefit from his experience.”

George, who once freeze-branded 999 cows over two days, recognises the expertise required as a freeze-branding professional. He said: “It’s a very skilled practice.

“Anyone can try it, but not everyone can actually do it.”