A world-wide resurgence of interest in native British beef breeds has encouraged the Lincoln Red Cattle Society to launch a scheme to produce pedigree breeding stock.
According to Gedney Dyke breeder Alan Hargreaves, who has been asked to act as one of two judges in the testing scheme, Lincoln Red breeders are invited to enter bulls for evaluation. The bulls’ growth rate and other qualities are tested weekly for about six months and the best ones are used for an artificial insemination programme.
Alan said: “We are using modern evaluation methods to back up our figures. Not only have we got the British market to sell the semen to, but the world market. In the States they are looking at beef with more traditional marbling and we have that in the native breeds. While there is this resurgence in British breeds, it helps that we are selling pedigree breeding stock. We are seeing breeders from all over the country going into Lincoln Reds and we encourage breeding from pedigree stock.”