Guidance

Official cattle breeds and codes

Get a breed code to register a cattle, bison or buffalo birth.

Applies to England and Wales

When you register a calf after it is born, you need to enter the correct breed code on the application.

If you need a code for a breed that is not on this list, contact the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS).

Cattle Tracing System (CTS) breed code list

This list replaces the version in the Cattle Keeper’s Handbook.

Description Breed
Aberdeen Angus AA
Aberdeen Angus Cross AAX
Abondance AB
Abondance Cross ABX
Australian Lowline ALL
Australian Lowline Cross ALLX
Angler Rotvieh AR
Angler Rotvieh Cross ARX
Ankole AN
Ankole Cross ANX
Armoricaine AM
Armoricaine Cross AMX
Aubrac AU
Aubrac Cross AUX
Ayrshire AY
Ayrshire Cross AYX
Baltata Romaneasca BRO
Bazadaise BAZ
Bazadaise Cross BAZX
Beefalo BEL
Beef Shorthorn BSH
Beef Shorthorn Cross BSHX
Belted Galloway BG
Belted Galloway Cross BGX
Belted Welsh Black BWB
Belted Welsh Black Cross BWBX
Bison BI
Blonde D’Aquitaine BA
Blonde D’Aquitaine Cross BAX
Blue Albion BAL
Blue Albion Cross BALX
Blue Grey BLG
Blue Grey Cross BLGX
Brahman BR
Brahman Cross BRX
Bretonne Pie-Noire BP
Bretonne Pie-Noire Cross BPX
British Blue BRB
British Blue Cross BRBX
British Friesian BF
British Friesian Cross BFX
British White BW
British White Cross BWX
Brown Swiss BS
Brown Swiss Cross BSX
Charolais CH
Charolais Cross CHX
Chianina CHI
Chianina Cross CHIX
Chillingham CHL
Chillingham Cross CHLX
Cross Breed Beef CB
Cross Breed Dairy CD
Coloured Welsh CW
Coloured Welsh Cross CWX
Danish Red DR
Danish Red Cross DRX
Dairy Shorthorn DS
Dairy Shorthorn Cross DSX
Devon DEV
Devon Cross DEVX
Dexter DEX
Dexter Cross DEXX
Dwarf Zebu DZE
East Finnish Brown EFB
East Finnish Brown Cross EFBX
Estonian Red ER
Estonian Red Cross ERX
Flekvieh FKV
Flekvieh Cross FKVX
Frisona Espagnola FE
Frisona Espagnola Cross FEX
Gasconne GAS
Gasconne Cross GASX
Galloway GA
Galloway Cross GAX
Gelbvieh GE
Gelbvieh Cross GEX
Gloucester GL
Gloucester Cross GLX
Groninger Blaarkop GB
Groninger Blaarkop Cross GBX
Guernsey GU
Guernsey Cross GUX
Heck HK
Heck Cross HKX
Hereford HE
Hereford Cross HEX
Highland HI
Highland Cross HIX
Holstein HO
Holstein Cross HOX
Holstein Friesian HF
Holstein Friesian Cross HFX
Hungarian Steppe HS
Hungarian Steppe Cross HSX
INRA95 INRA
INRA95 Cross INRAX
Irish Moiled IM
Irish Moiled Cross IMX
Jersey JE
Jersey Cross JEX
Kerry KE
Kerry Cross KEX
Lakenvelder LV
Lakenvelder Cross LVX
Limousin LIM
Limousin Cross LIMX
Lincoln Red LR
Lincoln Red Cross LRX
Longhorn LH
Longhorn Cross LHX
Luing LU
Luing Cross LUX
Maine Anjou MA
Maine Anjou Cross MAX
Maraichine MAC
Maraichine Cross MACX
Marchigiana MAR
Marchigiana Cross MARX
Meuse Rhine Issel MRI
Meuse Rhine Issel Cross MRIX
Montbeliarde MO
Montbeliarde Cross MOX
Murray Grey MG
Murray Grey Cross MGX
Normande NO
Normande Cross NOX
Northern Dairy Shorthorn NDS
Northern Dairy Shorthorn Cross NDSX
Norwegian Red NR
Norwegian Red Cross NRX
Other Dairy OD
Parthenais PA
Parthenais Cross PAX
Piemontese PI
Piemontese Cross PIX
Pie Rouge PR
Pie Rouge Cross PRX
Pinzgauer PIN
Pinzgauer Cross PINX
Red Poll RP
Red Poll Cross RPX
Reggiana RE
Reggiana Cross REX
Riggit Galloway RG
Riggit Galloway Cross RGX
Romagnola RO
Romagnola Cross ROX
Rotebunde ROT
Rotebunde Cross ROTX
Rouge Flamande RF
Rouge Flamande Cross RFX
Salers SA
Salers Cross SAX
Shetland SH
Shetland Cross SHX
Simmental SM
Simmental Cross SMX
South Devon SD
South Devon Cross SDX
Speckle Park SP
Speckle Park Cross SPX
Stabiliser ST
Stabiliser Cross STX
Swedish Black and White SBW
Swedish Black and White Cross SBWX
Swedish Red SR
Swedish Red Cross SRX
Swedish Red Polled SRP
Swedish Red and White SRW
Swedish Red and White Cross SRWX
Swiss Braunvieh SB
Swiss Braunvieh Cross SBX
Swiss Orig Braunvieh SOB
Swiss Orig Braunvieh Cross SOBX
Swiss Grey SG
Swiss Grey Cross SGX
Sussex SU
Sussex Cross SUX
Tyrone Black TB
Tyrone Black Cross TBX
Vaynol VA
Vaynol Cross VAX
Wagyu WA
Wagyu Cross WAX
Water Buffalo BU
Welsh Black WB
Welsh Black Cross WBX
Welsh White WW
Welsh White Cross WWX
White Galloway WG
White Galloway Cross WGX
Whitebred Shorthorn WS
Whitebred Shorthorn Cross WSX
White Park WP
White Park Cross WPX
Yak YK
Yak Cross YKX
Zebu ZE

Contact BCMS

British Cattle Movement Service

Curwen Road
Derwent Howe
Workington
Cumbria
CA14 2DD

Email bcmsenquiries@rpa.gov.uk

BCMS helpline 0345 050 1234

Helpline for cattle keepers in Wales 0345 050 3456

Normal BCMS helpline opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm, closed weekends and bank holidays. All calls charged at local rate.

You can also speak to an advisor on webchat. Webchat is only available in the English language at the following URL: https://british-cattle-movement-guidance.service.gov.uk

Published 6 May 2014
Last updated 18 March 2024 + show all updates
  1. Updated Welsh translation.

  2. Changed the codes for INRA95 and INRA95 Cross

  3. This guidance has been updated to show it no longer applies to Scotland.

  4. For information only: the Breed code list has been updated several times in recent years. You may wish to visit the ‘Official cattle breeds and codes’ page on GOV.UK to see the current list. Er gwybodaeth i chi yn unig: mae'r rhestr cod Bridiau wedi'i diweddaru sawl gwaith yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Efallai yr hoffech ymweld â'r dudalen 'Codau Bridiau Swyddogol a Chodau Gwartheg' ar GOV.UK i weld y rhestr gyfredol.

  5. The Shorthorn and Shorthorn Cross breeds are no longer available to specify as the animal breed in cattle passport applications. If you have a Shorthorn calf you must specify either Beef Shorthorn, Dairy Shorthorn or Whitebred Shorthorn.

  6. The Official cattle breeds and codes list has been amended. The following breeds have been removed. GAYAL, MALKEKORTHORN, MALKEKORTHORN X, TARANTAISE-TARINA, TARANRAISE-TARINA X, VALDOSTANA NERA, VALDOSTANA NERA X,

  7. First published.