DOUBT has been cast over claims that Essex cows moo with distinctive accents.

The West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers Group sparked debate in rural circles across the country when it claimed to be able to discern clear differences between the accents of herds from the Midlands, Essex, Norfolk and Lancashire.

Lloyd Green, a Somerset dairy farmer and group member, said: "I spend a lot of time with my Friesians and they definitely moo with a Somerset drawl.

"I've spoken to other farmers in the West Country and they've noticed a similar development.

"I think it works the same as with dogs - the closer a farmer's bond is with his animals, the easier they pick up his accent."

But Stapleford Tawney dairy farmer John Torrance was far more sceptical.

He said: "You must be pulling my leg. I've seen cows from all over the country and I think it's a load of hogwash."

Karen Hughes, who keeps cows at Harlow Town Park's Pet's Corner was similarly unconvinced.

"It's true cows moo differently but I certainly wouldn't put it down to dialect."

She added: "Cows moo differently at different times of the day and depending on what they're mooing for - whether for food or to call their calf."

But experts such as John Wells, Professor of Phonetics at University College, London, have been more open-minded. He said: "The phenomenon is well attested in birds. You find distinct chirping accents in the same species around the country.

"It could also be true of cows - in small populations like herds you would encounter identifiable dialectical variations, affected by the immediate peer group."

Dr Jeanine Treffers-Daller, Reader in Linguistics at the University of West England, said: "When we're learning to speak we adopt a local variety of language spoken by our parents - the same could be said about the variation in cow moos.

"Standard English can often sound too posh for some people, so we reject that in favour of a local accent associated with fun nights out with friends or, in this case, chewing the cud!"