Sessions

The Hungarian Grey cattle breed is a national treasure protected by law in Hungary. Whilst gene conservation and genetic diversity are prioritised, few consider the preservation of the breed’s appearance, its phenotype. In 2016, Professor Imre Bodó noted the decline in the herd of ‘baby-faced’, short-headed, brachiocephalic cows, a trend we later confirmed. Nowadays, the most important source of income from the herd is the production of commercial products. In my study, I sought to determine whether the body measurements of Hungarian Grey cattle had changed compared with the 2016 results, and to identify any trends. As part of my work, I repeated the VATEM measurements in the five herds originally measured in 2001. I determined the body measurements of 1,075 cows, using the same method as in 2001, though naturally with the technical and software tools developed since then. I compared my results with Fürlinger’s 2016 data. The standard deviation of body measurements has generally decreased. In the vast majority of cases, the body measurements that have changed have increased. As body size has increased, the amount of meat that can be produced on commercial farms has also risen. In many cases, this increase has been significant, making changes in appearance inevitable. In future, it may be necessary to set both breeding objectives (commercial production and gene conservation), but it is for breeders to decide which path to take with their herds. In 2001, all the phenotypic types described by Imre Bodó were still present in the herd, whereas by 2016 only the ‘parlagi’ and ‘uradalmi’ types remained. By 2026, this trend had intensified, and there were even fewer cows of the ‘parlagi’ type. Through repeated phenotyping over a long time series, changes in conformation can be tracked and archived. In the future, we plan to create 3D animal models as a more accurate and comprehensive means of archiving.