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TheBritish White is a Britishbreed ofbeef cattle. It is naturallypolled (without horns) and iscolour-pointed – white with black or red points on the ears andmuzzle. It has a confirmed history dating back to the seventeenth century.
White cattle (often with black or red ears) are believed to have been highly regarded in Britain and Ireland in very early times,[1] and herds of white cattle were kept as ornamental and sporting animals in enclosed parks for many centuries. They gave rise to the hornedWhite Park cattle, and contributed to the polled British White. However, British Whites are not as genetically distinct from other British breeds as White Parks are, and so there is some doubt about their exact origins; other breeds such asShorthorn may have contributed to their development.
These cattle were kept in the Park ofWhalley Abbey, in theForest of Bowland nearClitheroe. After that time the major portion of the herd was moved toNorfolk, in the early 19th century. This herd was sold off in small lots, largely to nobility in the surrounding countryside, and formed the basis of the British White breed. By the early 20th century these cattle had declined to about 130 registered animals, mainly in the eastern counties of England. By the end of the 20th century numbers had grown to over 1,500 registered animals in the UK and perhaps 2,500 in the US, as well as many in other parts of the world such as Australia, where the breed was first imported by Mrs A Horden in 1958.[2] The UKRare Breeds Survival Trust lists it as a "minority" breed.[3]
In Britain, pedigrees are now maintained by the British White Cattle Society,[4] although in the past British Whites and White Parks formed different sections in the same herdbook.
The British White Cattle Society of Australia governs the breed in that country. Its first Herd Book was published in 1985.[5]
In North America the breed is represented by two separate societies, the British White Cattle Association of America[6] and the American British White Park Association[7] (confusingly, the latter doesnot cover the horned White Park).
The British White has shortish white hair, and has dark points – usually black, but sometimes red. The coloured points include the ears, feet, eyelids, nose and often even teats. It is naturallypolled (hornless), medium-sized and compactly built. There may be some coloured spots on the body fur, and the skin beneath the fur is usually coloured (grey or reddish), or pink with coloured spots. The colour-pointed pattern is found in many unrelated cattle breeds throughout the world – it is an extreme pale form of the similarly widespreadcolour-sided orlineback pattern.
The red-pointed variant shows in about two per cent of British Whites, but since red colouration isgenetically recessive to black in cattle, many of the black-pointed animals also carry the redallele.
The colour-pointed pattern shows strongly in crosses with other breeds, often with additional dark spotting if the other parent was solid-coloured. As in other cattle the polled characteristic is dominant over horns, so first crosses are also polled.
The breed is hardy and thrifty, and the animals readilygraze rough vegetation such asrushes,nettles orheather, and they keenlybrowse many trees and shrubs. They rarely have calving difficulties.
It is a medium-sized breed, with cows usually weighing550–700 kg and bulls900–1100 kg.[8]
