Danish Black Pied
(most common name in English)

(most common name):
• Sortbroget Dansk Malkerace anno 1965 (SDM-1965)
(transboundary/brand name):
• Danish Holstein
(local/other name):
• Dansk Holstein
• SDM
• Sortbroget Dansk Malkekvæg
local/other name (English):
• Black Pied Danish
• Danish Black and White Cattle
• Danish Black-and-White Milk

The Danish Black Pied is actually two breeds now: original (SDM-1965) and composite (SDM - Dansk Holstein). This page is about the original.

The original Danish Black Pied descends from dual-purpose Jutland cattle; a Jutland herdbook was first established in 1881.

These Jutland cattle were later crossed with Dutch Friesian — and also, to a lesser extent, with (German) East Friesian, Swedish Friesian and British Friesian — to restore herds that were decimated by the cattle plague in Europe during the 18th century. All this crossing turned the majority population of Danish Jutland cattle into Danish Friesians.

Starting in 1965, a composite mixture (dominated by Holstein semen from the USA and Canada) overtook the Danish Friesian and turned most of that population into Danish Holsteins. But, semen storage pre-1965 has allowed a breed line of Danish Friesians without Holstein genes to be maintained. The year (1965) has been added to the Danish breed name abbreviation in order to distinguish this line — which is smaller than the Danish Holstein (SDM - Dansk Holstein).

(Danish) Sortbroget = black and white
(Danish) Dansk = Danish
(Danish) Malkekvæg = milking cattle
(Danish) Sortbroget Dansk Malkekvæg = black and white Danish milking cattle

This page was last updated on: 2023-05-16

You can also go to:

My Daily Cow® Denmark and read about other Danish cattle breeds.

The Cow Wall® A-Z Cattle Breed Picture Reference to see other breeds of cattle in the world.