RARE BREEDS TRUST OF AUSTRALIA
powered by TidyHQCattle: Red Poll
Cattle: Red Poll
Country of Origin
East Anglia, England, UK.
Australian Status
Uses
Meat
Breed traits
Beef breed. Red colour, white switch on tail. Udder may be white or have a white patch..
Naturally polled. Once dual purpose, milk and meat, so still have a good milk supply - thus, calves thrive and grow quickly.
A good forager. Excellent for crossing to other breeds for their rich milk, stocky build and good qualities.
Easy calving. Long lived. Fertile. Docile. Being polled, they tend to stay in a herd and not wander.
Some herds are still milked in the UK, each cow giving about 5,000 litres of milk a year with 4.2% butterfat - high - and 3.5% protein. The milk makes good cheeses. Their biggest Red Poll dairy, Belvoir, sadly closed in 2022 and the animals now used for beef production. The breed is rare in its homeland.
The beef is very flavoursome and wins many taste competitions; it's marbled and finely grained, and notably tender.
History
Developed from Suffolk Duns and Norfolk Reds. UK breed Society formed in 1888. First breed standard written in 1874. Originally used far more as a milk cow than for beef. Excellent cheese also made.
A known stud of them in NSW in the 1870's. First breed organisation in Australia formed in 1918. The Society here has always been proactive getting them to shows and encouraging youth handlers and breeders.
History in Australia
Came to Australia in the early 1800's.
Breed Association
Australian Red Poll Cattle Breeders Inc
Population in Australia
2022: About 295 cows - moved from Recovering to Endangered category, based on ARCBA (via ABRI) numbers. PLEASE NOTE. Numbers are low on registered figures but in 2022 there are 80 known breeders (thanks to their Society tech man Boyd for help) . There are much larger numbers of commercial Red Poll cattle here.
Additional notes
Hopefully people will register more stud animals as registered numbers are low but there is a healthy unregistered population in Australia. Please do it for your breed!
Photo credits
Red Poll cow Yongerellen Esma Lantern. Photo from the WA Red Poll Breeders Group.
Page by Janet Lane August 2022.
