Secretary's manual (page 8 of 9)

Breed codes

The following is a list of breed codes for livestock species in Canada. The Canadian Association of Animal Breeders (CAAB) has coordinated the assignment of breed codes with the U.S. National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) to ensure they are unique. These are listed by species type under the CAAB/NAAB column. The primary use of breed codes by CAAB and NAAB has been for assigning identification to packaged semen and embryos for domestic and international use. The list of codes is regularly updated to reflect new breed introductions.

Breed codes are also increasingly used in other databases and for identification where multiple breeds are being processed, such as in performance recording programs and in registries. Breeds which have been recognized under the Animal Pedigree Act (APA) are listed with their breed codes under the APA column. However, not all recognized breeds and species are contained in the list. Other breeds which are coded by CAAB/NAAB may not be recognized under the APA as true breeds. Also, various lines or strains may exist within a breed, in which case only a single breed code is shown. For example, although Shorthorn may be classified as milking or dual purpose, polled, beef scotch or illawarra, all are assigned the breed code SS in this table. Individual databases may also choose to designate breed codes according to the specific strain or establish proprietary breed codes.