Type Classification Service

The Type Classification programme accentuates economically important conformation traits that influence a cow's ability to withstand modern production and management practices.2

Why Classify

The service offers its users two key advantages:

1. It provides an independent assessment of every cow in the herd.
2. It provides a final score for the your heifers and cows, which can substantially increase their value.

The system is appropriate to every type of farming system and currently evaluates over 100,000 animals every year.

NBDC classifiers operate an internationally recognised appraisal system which is used by the AI industry in the British Isles to provide reliable type proofs.

Classification fees (pdf)

 

TRAITS INCLUDED IN CLASSIFICATION

Linear assessment involves the measurement of 24 individual traits on a scale of 1-9, describing the degree of the trait rather than its desirability. The traits are as follows:

Mammary (40%)	Feet & Legs (30%)	Dairy Capacity (10%)	Rump (10%)	Dairy Character (10%)	Management
Udder Depth	Foot Angle	Stature	Rump Angle	Angularity	Temperament
Udder Texture	Rear Leg Side View	Body Depth	Rump Width		Milking Speed
Central Ligament	Rear Leg Rear View	Chest Width	Loin Strength		Condition Score
Fore Udder Attachment	Bone quality	Height at Front End	Thurl Position
Front Teat Placement	Locomotion
Rear Udder Height
Rear Udder Width
Teat Length
Teat Position
Udder Tilt

To see the precise description of each trait classified for dairy cows refer to the Type Classification Guide and the Holstein Virtual Cow.

 

 

FINAL SCORE AND GRADE

Classification involves the appraisal of an animals in comparison to the ideal. An overall score and grade are awarded, according to the following scale:

Final Linear Score	Final Grade
90+	Excellent (EX)
85-89	Very Good (VG)
80-84	Good Plus (GP)
75-79	Good (G)
65-74	Fair (F)
50-64	Poor (P)

A similar score and grade are awarded to each of the five areas of the cow – mammary, feet & legs, dairy capacity, rump and dairy character. Then the final score is calculated from the individual score of these five assessments.

 

FINAL SCORE AND PARITY

The maximum Final Score attributed to an animal depend on its number of calving:

Parity	Final Score
1st Calver	89 points
2nd Calver	89 points
3rd Calver	93 points
4rd Calver +	97 points

 

BREEDS ASSESSED

The NBDC Classification Team assess 18 breeds of cattle across the UK and Channel Islands. The below table shows all the breeds currently participating in the Type Classification Scheme. If you are interested in classifying you herd please use the contact numbers at the bottom of the page. 

Dairy Breeds	Beef Breeds
Ayrshire	Beef Shorthorn
British Friesian	Dexter
Brown Swiss	Gloucester
Dairy Shorthorn	Irish Moiled
Guernsey Island	Longhorn
Guernsey UK	Simmentals
Holstein	South Devons
Jersey Island	Welsh Black
Jersey UK
Montbeliarde

There are several forms of the service, one to suit each breed – Ayrshire, British Friesian, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein, Jersey and Shorthorn. In each case, the service offers the potential to substantially increase the value of your herd and for some, opens up services such as:

 

If you would like to book a classification, please contact: