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SNAPSHOT PROFILE OF

Dansk Simmental Cattle: A Snapshot Profile of the Breed in Denmark

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What is the current status and overview of the Simmental breed and Society in Denmark?

In Denmark, Simmental is the second largest beef breed with approximately 3500 pedigree cows, and about 7500 cows when including those with minimum 50% Simmental blood, making it very popular for crossbreeding. These pedigree cows are spread across about 900 herds, averaging 3.9 cows per herd. The total number of suckler cows in Denmark is close to 90,000, averaging about 15 cows per herd, with sucklers typically being a secondary income source due to the prevalence of arable land. AI is highly popular, accounting for over half of Simmental calves born, a tradition stemming from dairy cattle farming and proving cost-effective for small herds by providing access to national and international top genetics. The beef breeds arrived in Denmark in the 1960s-70s, settling with farmers already accustomed to AI concepts.

Fifty years ago we had numerous of these cattle breeding associations, but now they have all merged into one members owned company covering the whole country: VikingDenmark. Together with similar organisations in Sweden and Finland, VikingDenmark owns and runs VikingGenetics. The task of VikingGenetics is general development of everything related to reproduction, and to select bulls and produce semen doses.  VikingDenmark takes care of the practical AI service and the close contact of the customers – who are also the owners. Denmark is a small country, so the distances between our 200 AI technicians are not long. Traditionally the Viking system and the Beef breeding societies have been able to cooperate in a very good way. This means that the selection of AI bulls for pure breeding is handled by the respective breeding society.

As a result of this structure we produce a lot more good bull calves than we need for reproduction, and therefore the price for young bulls is probably the lowest in Europe. We do not have auction sales of breeding cattle at all, with everything being sold directly from farm to farm.

Unfortunately we also have low prices when it comes to selling our beef. A year ago there was a positive trend in prices, so we thought they would rise to a decent level. But then came Covid 19 and stopped all the celebrations and parties where you would normally serve a good beef roast, and restaurants, where a lot of beef steaks would normally have been consumed, were closed down.  Actual carcass price medio November is £2,89 for top quality young bull or heifer and £2,65 for top quality cow. Almost all animals for slaughter are paid for according to weight and EUROP classification of carcass. The prices I mention here are for best weight group and carcass class 12.

This low price, which we have had for too long now, combined with the fact that average age of beef farmers is quite high, will probably cause a major decrease in the number of suckler cows over the next few years. For many of us it’s a hobby, but even beloved hobbies can become too expensive.

The Danish Simmental Society – Dansk Simmental – already registers the decreasing number of breeders, as our members list now holds only 170 names. When it peaked, we came close to 400. The problem is not only that people grow older – we expected that – but after the worldwide financial crisis it has been very difficult for young people to finance the purchase of a small farm and establish their own herds. I do believe that if that were easier, we would still have enough new members coming in to replace the elderly going out.

One of our Society’s main tasks has always been to make sure that there is sufficient high-quality semen available to our members. To take care of that we have a four-person committee, which keeps an eye on figures and animals and come up with suggestions to the main board of the Society, as to which bull to take for AI or which semen to import. As a Society we act with quite a conservative attitude and take in only well proven genetics.  Our philosophy is to not gamble with other people’s (our members’ ) money.  Until a few years ago our performance test station was the key thing in the selection of new bulls. But the running of this became too expensive, so now we look at the figures of working herd bulls. When we find one with good figures, we go out and look at the bull and progeny. This means that nowadays we actually select one proven bull for AI instead of five or six young bulls for test inseminations.

“Temperament, easy calving, polled, growth, and carcase classification – the most important traits for Danish Simmental breeders..”

The things we look for in our next AI bulls are easy calving, growth, good legs and feet and good carcass classification. When we ask our breeders what they find most important, we mostly hear – and  mostly in this ranking: Temperament, easy calving, polled, good growth, and good classification of carcass. Only very few talk about leg quality, but I take it that good legs is seen as a presumption. One thing that is often discussed among breeders is the size of our animals. When we have foreign guests coming to buy animals, they often say that our animals are too big – and then they buy the biggest one they can find.

Showing is to many of our members a big part of having Simmentals. We have quite a few local shows, but the most interesting one is absolutely The National Show in Herning at the beginning of July. Here we have normally 60-70 animals in the ring, and in special years we have had more than 100.  In any case it is worth a visit, when and if the world comes back to normal!

I would like to offer my best congratulations on your Society’s anniversary in 2020!

In Denmark we highly respect the way you have developed the breed since your first imports, and some of your breeding has had a large and persistent impact on ours.

I hope you will be able to celebrate in a proper way in 2021, and if the world is free – and the borders are still open for EU citizens – I hope to join your celebrations with a contingent of Danish breeders

Frequently Asked Questions

1 What is the current status of the Simmental breed in Denmark?

In Denmark, there are approximately 3500 pedigree Simmental cows, making it the second-largest beef breed in the country. When including cows with at least 50% Simmental blood, the total reaches about 7500. These cattle are spread across roughly 900 herds.

2 How popular is Simmental for crossbreeding in Denmark?

Simmental is very popular for crossbreeding in Denmark. If cows with a minimum of 50% Simmental blood are counted, the total number of Simmental-influenced cattle reaches around 7500, indicating its significant use in crossbreeding programs.

3 What are the typical characteristics of Simmental herds in Denmark?

Simmental herds in Denmark are generally small, averaging about 3.9 pedigree cows per herd. Many farms have a few pedigree animals alongside crossbred cattle, and suckler production is often a secondary or tertiary income source due to limited grassland.

4 Who provided the information for this profile of Dansk Simmental?

The overview of the Dansk Simmental breed and society was kindly supplied by Henning Hansen. He is a Simmental breeder and a Board Member of Dansk Simmental, and is known to British Simmental visitors to Denmark.