Bunhill: Bullish background

THAT doughty capitalist Lord Sterling, chairman of P&O, seemed suspiciously keen to ensure that no live animals travelled on any of his firm's ferries to continental abattoirs; a decision that won him plaudits from the Politically Correct but must have cost his firm a bob or two.

The reason is simplicity itself. His Lordship is the proud owner of one of Britain's finest herds of Highland cattle. Indeed, a year ago he outbid some heavy foreign competition by paying the record price of 5,000 guineas for the champion bull at the Perth Mart, the six-year- old Ossian 2nd of Glenquoich, formerly owned by the equally sonorously sounding Hon Peregrine Moncreiffe. According to Lord S's herd manager Ossian has 'a tremendous backside and great temperament'.