Evaluating breeding animals for a grazing breed

The British White Park Cattle Society combines DNA comparisons, parentage verification, visual inspection and linear assessment when evaluating breeding bulls. These methods answer complementary questions about ancestry, type and functional structure.

The society describes White Parks as late-maturing cattle suited to extensive grazing. It does not impose a minimum weight for bull evaluation, seeking to avoid encouraging heavy feeding simply to meet a weight threshold. Its assessment instead considers animals raised under different conditions.

The resulting evaluations include dimensions relevant to breeding decisions, such as body length, pelvis and scrotal measurements. The society notes that the ultimate evidence of a bull’s quality remains his offspring. A high rating is therefore a selection aid, not a guarantee of every calf’s performance. This British program illustrates active conservation of the White Park resource; it should not be described as the registration rules of every North American organization.