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Cattle
Lincoln Red
Watchlist; Category 2, Endangered.
The Lincoln Red was developed from the Holderness branch of Shorthorn cattle to thrive on the cold marshes of Lincolnshire, and originally was known as the Lincolnshire Red Shorthorn. The Herd Book was established in 1896. In the 1940s the Lincoln Red was recognised as a dual-purpose breed but by the 1980s it had become a specialist beef breed. Recently, crossing with continental breeds has been permitted, but the RBST recognises only animals descended from the original purebred population.
The Lincoln Red is an excellent converter of roughage into meat and, before they declined in popularity, the breed was exported to many countries. They produce high quality beef, and benefit from a speciality meat marketing scheme in their county of origin.
The Lincoln Red is well suited to current changes in farming policies and markets. Traditional Lincoln Red cows are hardy and long-lived, calve easily, have strong maternal instincts, and a plentiful supply of milk as a result of their dual-purpose origins.