Cattle Breeders Society of Jamaica

Breed societies exist to promote, preserve and improve their particular breed, defining their breed standard and recording pedigree. Preserving the gene pool of individual breeds ensures that they are not diluted. Genes continue to exist (and can be secured through semen banks for example) and excellence can be traced and potentially replicated.

There has been a high amount of successful crossbreeding for improving commercial traits in livestock, but without maintaining the original DNA, future opportunities for breeding and development would be lost so it is crucial to keep the original type.

In Jamaica there were originally four distinct cattle breed societies, representing Jamaica’s indigenous cattle breeds; The Jamaica Red Poll Cattle Breeder’s Society; The Jamaica Black Cattle Breeder’s Society; The Jamaica Brahman Cattle Breeder’s Society; and The Jamaica Hope Cattle Breeder’s Society.  The first three breed societies mentioned represent beef cattle breeds; the last represents a dairy breed.