RED POLL CATTLE SOCIETY

Signet Subsidy

To encourage the collection of Breed Data, the Society offers an annual subsidy of £125 to members who join the Signet Beef Recording Scheme. The subsidy is paid on production of a paid Signet invoice. For further details, please contact the Secretary.

 

Milk Recording Subsidy

To encourage the collection of Breed Data, the Society offers an annual subsidy of £125 to members who undertake milk recording with NMR. For further details, please contact the Secretary.

 

Breed Standard Description
(Approved by Council on 13th October 2007)

 

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTIC

"The Red Poll is a dual-purpose animal. The breed was evolved to combine the production of the very highest standard of beef with a satisfactory milk yield. Accordingly judging should aim at deciding the best COMBINATION of these qualities. Moreover an obvious deficiency in one cannot be counterbalanced by superlative excellence in the other."

Colour

Colour must be red, deep red for preference, though white on the udder or a white or a silver haired end of the tail is permissible. Though not a disqualification, a sandy colour is an objection.

Head

Head must be naturally polled, i.e. not artificially polled and without horns or slugs or abortive horns.

Slugs are horny substances adhering to the skin over the seat of natural horns, free from any attachment to the skull and consequently as movable as any portion of the skin.

Abortive horns are horny substances attached to the skull but more or less developed as horns.

Nose

The nose should be flesh coloured. Should it be black this is a disqualification. Blue noses are an objection. Black or blue spots constitute an objection according to their size and placing.

THE COW

The cow should have a fine head and neck.

Her back should be level with the tail long and thin and set on level with it.

Her loin should be wide and her hips evenly rounded and not too prominent.

Her body should be deep with the ribs well sprung, the legs being at the four corners and set well apart. She should be a good mover on legs of medium length.

Her hindquarters should be long from hip to aitch bone and not patchy at the rump ends, the buttocks being deep and well fleshed down to the hocks.

Her forearms and half legs should be well developed.

She should be thick through the heart and her brisket should be deep, wide and forward. Her skin should be fine and soft to the touch.

Her udder should be well developed but not pendulous and should come well up between the hind legs and run well forward.

The teats should be of moderate size set evenly at the four lower corners of the udder and pointing to the ground.

The milk veins should run well forward along the belly.

THE BULL

A similar description to that given for the cow applies to a bull except for the reference therein contained to the head and neck and to the udder.

A bull should be of a decidedly masculine type with strong head and neck, a powerful chest and well placed rudimentary teats.

He should be a good mover on legs of medium length and his testicles should be flesh coloured and hang evenly.

Any white patch is a disqualification; any white hairs, other than on the tip of the tail, constitute an objection.

DISQUALIFICATION

An animal with a disqualification is not eligible to receive any award at a show other than Fat Stock shows or to be entered to be sold at any of the Society's sales but is eligible for registration in the Herd Book.

ARTIFICIAL ALTERATION

Any artificial alteration of the natural colour or conformation of an animal either by colouration or any other means shall ipso facto disqualify the animal from receiving an award and shall render its owner liable to expulsion from the Society.

Mature weight of a bull - 900-1,000 kgs.

Mature weight of a cow - 600 kgs.