Dairy Shorthorn
The Dairy Shorthorn is a British breed of dairy cattle.: 132 : 59 It derives from the Shorthorn cattle of Teesside, in the North Riding of Yorkshire and in Northumbria (now divided between County Durham and Northumberland) in north-eastern England. The Shorthorn was for this reason at first known as the Durham or Teeswater.
A Dairy Shorthorn cow at the Tullamore Show in Ireland | |
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| Country of origin | England |
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| Coat | red, red-and-white, roan or white |
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Selective breeding for a dairy type began in the late eighteenth century.: 162 This is known as the Dairy Shorthorn in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and South Africa, and as the Milking Shorthorn in Canada, New Zealand and the United States. The Illawarra Shorthorn of Australia is largely descended from the Dairy Shorthorn.
Worldwide, the conservation status of the Dairy Shorthorn, the Illawarra Shorthorn and the Milking Shorthorn is "not at risk".: 144 In the United Kingdom the small remainder of the breed not affected by indiscriminate cross-breeding in the twentieth century is known as the Dairy Shorthorn (Original Population).: 163 : 132 It is critically endangered. Both it and the Northern Dairy Shorthorn are listed as "priority" – the highest category of risk – on the watchlist of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.
In the nineteenth century the Durham – as it was then usually known – was very extensively used for cross-breeding in many countries of the world; it has contributed to the development of more than forty different breeds.