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 |
| Maremmana | MARE |
| Maremmana Cross | MAREX |
| 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 |
| Pajuna | PAJ |
| Pajuna Cross | PAJX |
| 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 |
| Rubia Gallega/Galician Blond | RUB |
| Rubia Gallega/Galician Blond Cross | RUBX |
| 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
Updates to this page
Published 6 May 2014Last updated 16 December 2024 + show all updates
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The following cattle breeds and codes have been added: Maremmana MARE Maremmana Cross MAREX Pajuna PAJ Pajuna Cross PAJX Rubia Gallega/Galician Blond RUB Rubia Gallega/Galician Blond Cross RUBX.
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Updated Welsh translation.
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Changed the codes for INRA95 and INRA95 Cross
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This guidance has been updated to show it no longer applies to Scotland.
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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.
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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.
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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,
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First published.