The UK Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society has recently rolled out an optional ‘Type Classification’ service for its members.

This service, offered by Holstein UK, is available to 12 beef cattle breeds across Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society is the latest beef-breed organisation to provide this classification option to its members.

Each year, Holstein UK classifies over 140,000 dairy and beef cattle.

The voluntary program is designed to provide independent evaluations of breeding females within pedigree dairy and beef herds.

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John and Ann Henning's Drumcorn Herd became the first Angus Herd in Northern Ireland to participate in the Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society’s newly introduced Type Classification Scheme.

Having grown up on a pedigree dairy farm in County Armagh, John Henning OBE recognises the value of type classification.

He stated: “Holstein cows have been classified on my home farm since the 1980’s.

“Linear assessment or type classification is an independent evaluation and an excellent marketing tool for herd owners who are breeding females, and potentially producing stock bulls for pedigree and commercial herds.

“Classifying females will allow us to make better breeding decisions and identify the best individual animals and cow families within our herd.” John added.

Holstein UK’s chief classifier and head of the National Bovine Data Centre, Meurig James, explained: “Type classification was introduced more than 50 years ago to identify the strengths and weaknesses of dairy cows.

“Classification is a management tool which enables pedigree herd owners to select the right bulls to rectify faults and improve traits within individual animals. This will lead to longevity and more profitable cows.”

“Aberdeen Angus classifying is just getting off the ground. A number of large herds have been assessed in mainland UK within the last couple of weeks. During my recent visit to Northern Ireland, I evaluated the Drumcorn, Baronagh, Ballymoyer, Loughans and Greenacres herds

“The classification scheme has been a success story in the dairy world for decades and has made a tremendous contribution to the improvement of both type and production, not only throughout the UK but around the world.” he added.

Meurig emphasised that when scoring suckler cows, they must be nursing a calf. Fourteen individual traits are evaluated.

These 14 traits are grouped under four main categories:

- Body conformation

- Beef and breed character

- Legs and feet

- Mammary and udders

The scores in these categories are combined to create an individual animal’s overall score, which is ranked from Poor (P), Fair (F), Good Plus (GP), Very Good (VG), to Excellent (EX).

Henning, who currently serves as the president of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society, noted: “We are members of the AFBI CHeCS-approved Herd Health Scheme and participate in the Breedplan weight recording scheme.

“The classification scores are an additional breeding tool which will enhance our decision making and improve data availability.

“This information will help to reassure our customers that they are investing in a quality stock bull. An independent dam classification score of VG or EX maybe carries more weight than a rosette from the showring.”

John and Ann Henning, from Moira, established the Drumcorn prefix in 1992.

The herd’s prolific cow families include:

- Erica

- Ergessa

- Lady Ida

- Cherry Blossom

The couple was thrilled with their first herd classification, which saw nearly 90% of the Drumcorn females achieving VG and EX status.