British White Cattle - Finnington Traditional Breeds

British White Cattle

The British White is one of our oldest cattle breeds; it is a polled breed, white in colour with black or occasionally red points to the ears, muzzle, eyelids, feet and teats. The RBST now categorise the British White as a minority breed on their 2008 watchlist.

Hardy Breed

They are natural foragers, and thrive in extensive grazing conditions, which make them ideal for conservation grazing. The cows are excellent mothers, and easy calvers. As with most of the traditional breeds, the meat from the British White is slower maturing than commercial breeds, but produces meat of a very high quality.

History of the Breed

The British White has links with the ancient indigenous wild white cattle of Britain. It is recorded that there were a herd of white polled cattle running in Lords Park at Whalley Abbey, Lancashire in the 1500’s. By the mid nineteenth century, Norfolk became the stronghold of the breed. At this time the breed was dual-purpose breed being used for both milk and meat production.

The breed society was formed in 1918, and the first herdbook was produced the following year.

After WW11 the breed started to decline with the introduction of higher yielding continental breeds, and by the 1960’s numbers had reduced dramatically when the numbers dropped to 149.

Today the breed is gaining popularity, thanks to a few breeders who have remained committed to the breed over the last 40 or so years. The breed is now predominantly a beef breed, there are no herds being commercially milked. Cattle have been exported to many countries.

innington Traditional Breeds

Steve meeting Princess Anne

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