2023 Limousin Annual Journal

TECHNICAL
Mind your P’s - Polled Limousin
Cattle in the UK
Many breeds of beef cattle
have horns as a result of their
evolutionary history. They serve
a variety of purposes, including defence,
dominance displays, and cooling.
But in the cooler climates of Britain,
there isn’t much call for horns in the beef
sector so using genetics to reduce the
prevalence of horned Limousin cattle
is a growing trend. One that’s easy to
understand given the core benefits it
provides;
• Reduced labour and costs: dehorning
or disbudding cattlecan be a timeconsuming
and costly process
• Improved safety: Horned cattle can
pose a safety risk to both the farmer
and other animals in the herd. Cattle
with the polled gene do not have
horns, which can make handling and
managing the herd safer for both the
farmer and the animals.
• Improved animal welfare: Dehorning
can be a painful and stressful process
for cattle. Cattle with the polled gene
Homozygous Polled bull calf Whinfellpark Tacot (Hom. Polled Lego X Het Polled Orageusep)
do not have horns and therefore do
not require dehorning, which can
improve animal welfare.
• Increased marketability: Some
consumers prefer beef from cattle with
the polled gene because they believe
it is more humane. Therefore, farmers
who breed polled cattle may have an
advantage in the marketplace.
There is a growing nucleus of polled
Limousin cattle in the UK, and for some
pedigree and commercial producers alike,
polled cattle are an increasingly important
part of their breeding programme.
DNA testing for polled Limousin cattle
goes back some 10 years and in that time,
the availability of polled breeding stock
has increased owing to the breeders that
have developed family lines dedicated to
multiplying this characteristic. There are
now nearly 500 pedigree sires and dams
in the breeding population with polled
genetics, a number which grows year on
year.
Where to find
polled cattle
The following have
registered calves
with polled genetics
since 2021:
ATTERWITH
BALLYRICKARD
BIZZYBERRY
BLUECEDAR
BONSHAW
BROOKHAMS
COCKLESHELL
CRERAN
CRUSHYBRACKEN
DEFAIDTY
ELDERBERRY
ENEFEST
GOLDIES
GOODREST
GRAHAMS
GREENSONS
HALTCLIFFE
HARESTONE
KIRKLAND
LARKHILL
LUKEROYAL
MARSTON
MCTURK
MENDHAM
MERESIDE
NANTHIR
NEWHOUSE
ORLHAM
PENCAER
ROXBURGH
TOMSCHOICE
TREDON
TURVILLE
UNDERWOOD
WALLOP
WELLHOUSE
WESTHALL
WHINFELLPARK
WILLS
WILODGE
138 | BRITISH LIMOUSIN CATTLE SOCIETY www.limousin.co.uk