About Red Poll Cattle

If you have read about our partner, Knoll Farm, you will have seen that one such breed of cattle at the farm is the Red Poll, which are registered as a Somer Valley herd with the Red Poll Cattle Society. Being a rare breed, we thought you might want to learn more about this native cow.

As their name suggests, Red Poll cattle are deep red in colour and naturally polled (meaning, without horns). They were developed in England in the early 19th century, as a cross between the Norfolk Red beef-type cattle and the Suffolk Dun dairy cattle. Although these breeds are both now extinct, by combining their characteristics, the resulting Red Poll offers a high standard of beef with a satisfactory milk yield. This made it a popular breed right up until the middle of the 20th century.

The Red Poll saw its decline as it struggled to compete with the Friesian cattle for milking and other continental breeds for beef. Now considered a rare breed, modern Red Poll’s are used mainly in suckler herds, though there are still some milking herds across the country.

The Red Polls at Knoll Farm