Introduction. In the current conditions of cattle breeding development in the country, dairy cattle breeding requires animals with not only a high genetic potential, but also characterized by a high level of dairy productivity. Purpose: the study of breeding and productive qualities of Ayrshire cattle bred in the conditions of the Republic of Mari El. Materials and methods. The studies were conducted in ZAO “Mariyskoye” of the Republic of Mari El. The object of research was dairy cattle of Ayrshire breed. Results, discussion. At present, Ayrshire cattle bred in the farm are purebred and of the elite-record class. The herd is young, the average age of cows is 3.4 calving. On average, 6876 kg of milk with MFF − 4.5 %, MFP − 3.34 % is obtained from one cow per lactation. The level of milk productivity of cows exceeds the requirements of the 1st class standard in milk yield by 76.5 %, in MFF by 3.4 %, in the amount of milk fat by 26.2 %. The cows exceed the standard by 12−20 % in live weight and have excellent exterior for dairy cattle. Currently in the herd there are animals belonging to 5 lines. The cows of the Urho Errant and O.R. Lichting lines yielded more than the average for the herd (7017 kg and 6930 kg, respectively). Cows of the S. B. Komandor line were the most fat-dairy and cows of the Sneeperum SRB line were the most protein-dairy. The herd produces daughters from 19 bulls. The producers used on the farm were characterized by a high genetic potential for productivity. Landscape daughters had the highest milk yields. Conclusion. It has been established that Ayrshire cattle bred in the conditions of the Republic of Mari El are derived from highly productive ancestors and are characterized by excellent for dairy cattle exterior. The level of milk productivity of cows exceeds the requirements of the 1st class standard of the breed.