Unimpressed with black Simmental

For close on 40 years, cattle enthusiasts in this country have become accustomed to the distinctive red and white marking of the Simmental breed.

However, it appears that Australian supporters of the breed are bringing forward a black-coated variant in order to meet the demands of Japanese buyers.

But neither Gayle Houliston from Muirkirk or Varrie Dyet from Strathaven, who travelled to the most recent Simmental World Congress in Melbourne, were overly impressed by the results. Both have pedigree herds and have no plans to "change the colour scheme" from the traditional red and white.

"We were told by breeders out there that Japanese buyers want them any colour as long as they are black. Apparently, anything with white in its coat is suspected of being a dairy cross in this important export market," Houliston said.

The original black variant came from the US, and a number of breeders are now using them to produce bulls. But the results according to the Scottish delegates were very varied in colour with a fair proportion of grey calves.