The British Simmental Review 2022

TOWARDS A 100% POLLED
SIMMENTAL HIGHCROSS HERD
Polling Note
Polling is a genetic mutation. The poll
allele (P) is dominant and the horned allele
(p) recessive.
Every parent has a pair of alleles at each
gene, and they pass on one of these alleles
to their offspring. A calf will receive one
allele (P or p) from the sire and one allele
(P or p) from the dam.
• Two polled alleles = homozygous
polled (PP)
• One polled, one horned =
heterozygous polled (Pp)
• Two horned alleles = homozygous
horned (pp)
James & Andrew Barnes with a
young Highcross polled bull.
The Barnes brothers rate dehorning as one of the worst jobs working with cattle. “Even
after adopting the most stringent welfare practices, it’s stressful for both the calf and
the operator. The calf doesn’t know what’s happening, becomes stressed and kicks
which I strongly believe affects its future handling and possibly its temperament.
Dehorning is also time consuming,” Andrew comments.
Animals which are visually horned must
have two copies of the horned gene (pp),
however visually polled animals maybe
heterozygous - they may carry one horned
gene and one poll gene, (Pp).
Only DNA testing can accurately
distinguish which genes each animal
carries.
The objective for their Highcross herd of pedigree Simmentals is to breed a herd that
is 100% homozygous (PP) for the polling gene, without sacrificing the breed’s noted
maternal traits, growth or shape. And despite facing challenges, within five short years
of the programme’s launch, between 50% to 60% of the youngstock born in 2022 have
been confirmed homozygous polled PP. “We are thrilled with progress to date,” he says.
“We’re fortunate we’ve had a head start. Lopemede was one of the UK’s first and
largest polled Simmental herds which had been developed over 20 years and slowly
progressed by sourcing polled genetics largely from Denmark. When we purchased the
herd, this was a new concept to us. Nowadays breeding polled cattle is like switching a
light on in a dark room.”
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