Cow Breeds

British White Cattle

British White Cattle are one of Britain’s oldest breeds of cattle, characterised by their attractive markings (black points on their ears, nose and feet) They were traditionally a dual purpose breed (milking & beef) up until the war but with the introduction of the continental breeds such as the Holstein and Freisian they became almost purely a beef producer.

British White cattle are naturally polled (no horns in both sexes!) they are very docile, easy calvers, natural foragers and have excellent feet and legs. The bulls are ideal for crossing with either beef or dairy heifers and produce good, polled suckler cows. The cows are very milky and make excellent mothers and will easily rear additional calves

For many smallholders, the bottom line always comes down to money. Like most native breeds, British Whites do not mature as fast as the more rapid growing continental breeds, but neither do they need the quantities of expensive cake needed to achieve that growth. Even so, care has to be taken to ensure a reasonable profit and selling surplus or finished stock through main stream markets isn’t generally the best idea.

The best returns are achieved by top quality stock that have enjoyed success in the show ring and then sold through specialist sales such as Melton Mowbray Native Breeds sales. This obviously means a big commitment during the summer months as well as the ability to pay for quality stock when starting out.