Simmental Genetics

The Simmental was introduced to the UK in 1970, and has since established itself as a popular and reliable terminal sire for beef production. The breed originated as a dual-purpose breed making the cows milky and docile suckler dams with a good maternal instinct.

There is no specific colour of the breed they vary from a pale golden yellow through to a very dark red, they are considered pied while their heads are almost always white, this characteristic transfers into crossbred calves.

Simmental are great crossbreeders and will successfully produce cows that are docile with a superb natural mothering instinct, with high fertility and milk production. The breed also offers great genetics with excellent growth rates and high daily weight gains.

Simmental Characteristics

The Simmental is a heavy dual-purpose breed considered the most authentic dual-purpose breed, with its roots in the Simme and Saane valleys in central Switzerland and it has contributed to a number of other European breeds, including the Fleckvieh and Montbeliarde.

The breed is now considered the 4th largest UK beef breed with mature cows growing to 145 cm and weighing 700-900kg while the bulls are 158-160 cm and average 1300kg.

British Simmental has been established as one of the most profitable UK beef breeds it’s an efficient breed retaining its terminal and maternal renowned traits. With continuous breeding improvements increasing adaptability to all UK farming systems.

Breed benefits:

• Dual-purpose breed
• Bulls make good terminal sires
• Docile with a superb natural mothering instinct
• Cows are milky suckler cows
• Hard-working and adaptable
• Intensively finished animals are capable of 2kg/day daily live weight gain
• High killing out percentage and fine-grained beef