The Council may direct the Breed Director to reject or to cancel the recording or registration of an animal that does not comply with the following set Minimum Standards.

• A heifer must calve before or at the age of 39 months for the first time;



• A calving interval may not exceed 26 months (720 days);



• The minimum number of calves a cow must produce by a certain age is noted in the table below:


Age of dam Minimum number of calves



Age of dam	Minimum No. of Calves
3 years 3 months	1
5 years 3 months	2
6 years 3 months	3
8 years 3 months	4
9 years 3 months	5
11 years 3 months	6
12 years 3 months	7




• A cow must rear at least two of any three consecutive calves up to weaning age.

A cow may wean not more than two calves with an index below 90.

• General

• Heifers
• Minimum wean index of 90
• Minimum 12 month index of 90
• Minimum 18 month index of 90

• Bulls
• Bulls phase B



• Minimum weight of 375kg
• Minimum wean index of 90
• Minimum 12 month index of 90
• Minimum 18 month index of 90



• Bulls phase C1, C2, C3, D1, D2, and D3



• Minimum wean index of 90
• Minimum ADG index of 90
• Minimum ADA index of 90
• Minimum feed conversion ratio index of 90 (Phase C only)
• Minimum scrotum circumference



• Weight
• 375 to 399kg - 30cm
• 400 to 499kg - 31cm
• 450 to 499kg - 32cm
• 500 to 549 kg - 33cm
• 550kg and over 35cm


• All rejected bulls Phases B, C&D as well as bulls not submitted for selection, must be castrated or slaughtered immediately.

• The emphasis is on the function of the animal. The selector will determine whether the defect warrants culling the animal. Animals with congenital defects must be culled. The following undesirable visual characteristics will be considered:



• Head



• Undershot jaw
• Overshot jaw
• Skew muzzle
• Skew face
• Compact or excessively long head
• Too fine and narrow muzzle



• Front and hind legs



• Split between hooves too wide
• Hooves curling inward
• Wall of hoof curling (folding) inward
• Outgrowing hooves
• Uneven length of hooves
• Outgrowing hooves
• Upright or sagging pasterns
• Standing over at the kneew (calf knees) or hollow knees
• X-legged (knock knees)
• Bandy legged
• Pigeon-toed
• Sickle or upright hocks
• Outgrowing hooves
• Faulty gait



• Shoulders



• Loosley attached shoulder
• Whithers extending too far above shoulders



• Chest, back and midpiece



• Devil's grip
• Hollow back
• Hunch back
• Laterally twisted spine (scoliosis)
• Narrow chested
• Hollow back



• Pelvis, rump and tail



• Narrow pelvis (females)
• Flat, roofy or excessively sloping rump
• Very prominent root or tail
• Wrytail - tail attachment off centre
• Congenital kink in upper third of tail



• Reproductive characteristics



• Too long, fleshy sheath
• Large sheath opening
• Definite preputial prolapse
• Hypoplasia of testes (uni- or bilateral)
• Epididymis partially absent
• Tortion of scrotum more than 45°
• Cryptorchidism (partial, uni- or bilateral)
• Pendulous scrotum
• Infantile or horizontally inclined vulva
• Poor udder development
• Teats small or absent
• Congenital imbalance of udder
• Malformed teats



• General



• Frizzy or woolly summer coat
• Longhaired coat
• Bulls with oxy or feminine appearance
• Heifers with oxy or masculine appearance
• Pony-types or extreme large frame types
• Wild temperament
• Poor muscling
• Double muscled or excessive muscling in females
• Fine or coarse skeleton
• Discrimination according to judgement of selector
• Disqualifications



• Any other defects not listed



• Eg. Chronic bloaters or poor constitution



• Type and colour



• Basic animals



• A variety of crossbred animals phenotypically representative of a Bonsmara-type will be acceptable. Different shades of red with minimum white, is accepatable



• Appendix and herd book proper animals



• Animals must be red and dehorned. White will be acceptable on the underline only.



• Appendix B and SP females with white above the underline must be degraded to Appendix A.



• SP - Bulls with a minimum of white above the underline may be approved as commercial bulls.

The society will control the practice of A I in Bonsmara herds in accordance with the 'Livestock Improvement Act of 1977' as amended.

• Procedure for application



• Sole owners must apply in writing to the Society submitting performance data of the bull.



• Apply for co-ownership if applicable



• Bulls for A I Centers must comply with the following standards:



• Standards



• SBulls licenced for the purpose of A I

• Progeny



• The breed society may cancel the registration of an A I bull if the performance of the progeny is not satisfactory.

The Breed Society will control embryp transfers in acoordance with the 'Livestock Improvement Act of 1977' as amended.

• Procedure for Application



• Apply in writing to the Breed Society, submitting production data of the prospective donor cow.



• Standards



• Sire and Donor cows


Must conform to minimum Breed standards.


• Recipient cows



Permanent identification is compulsory as well as complete records of cows and their foster calves. Bonsmara-type cows are preferred. Pure dairy breeds and crosses between dairy breeds are not accaptable.


• Progeny



• All progeny must, with the exception of wean index (guideline), comply with minimum Breed standards. Breeders should endeavour to have recipient cows calve during normal calving season.

• Animals which do not meet the requirements of minimum Breed standards may in exceptionalcases be approved by the selector with written motivation on the selection form.



• Writtten application (appeal) to the Council where applicable.



• Individual animals with a code eliminating it from index calculations may be selected provided that the corrected weight of such an animal is satisfactory in comparison with its contemporaries.

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