TH Policy

1. All animals imported into Coates’s Herd Book (Beef) must be tested TH free.

2. Imported embryos will only be accepted for registration in Coates’s Herd Book (Beef) if the sire and dam have been tested TH free, or alternatively where this information is incomplete the embryo is tested free.

3. Progeny from imported semen will only be accepted for registration in Coates’s Herd Book (Beef) if the donor bull has been tested TH free.

4. Progeny of TH carriers, or progeny of animals deemed by the Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society to be “at risk” * must be TH tested in order to be accepted for registration in Coates’s Herd Book (Beef). From 1st March 2008, no known TH carrier animals will be accepted for registration into Coates’s Herd Book (Beef). 5. Any TH carrier animal previously registered with the Society and transferred to a new owner will have the pedigree certificate stamped with the words “TH Carrier”.

6. TH carrier animals or animals deemed by the Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society to be “at risk” * cannot be sold at Society sales.

7. The Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society reserves the right to insist on a TH test, at the breeder’s expense for any animal registered with the Society or submitted for registration.

* At risk animals are defined as animals whose pedigree contains an unbroken line to a known TH carrier.

What is TH and why does the Society have a TH Policy?

Tibial Hemimelia (TH) is a rare lethal genetic condition inherited when affected animals inherit two copies of a recessive gene.

Calves are born with severe deformities including twisted rear legs with fused joints, large abdominal hernias and/or skull deformities. Should calves survive the birthing process, they cannot stand to nurse. The TH genetic defect in Shorthorn cattle can all be traced back to one bull, Deerpark Leader 13th, who was a carrier. When a very small number of birth defects were found in calves in the breed in 2006 extensive research was done and a strict genetic testing policy was put in place to eradicate the disease from the Coates's Herd Book and the UK population of Beef Shorthorns.

From 1st March 2008, no animals known to be carrying the defective gene have been registered in the Herd Book. Animals carrying the gene from before that date will have it clearly marked on their Pedigree Certificate. Any progeny from these older animals will have to be tested TH free before being accepted for the Herd Book.

The Society still carries out a rigorous policy on TH testing of all imported animals to ensure it does not re occur in the UK.