The Galloway is a Scottish

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

beef cattle Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production (as distinguished from dairy cattle, used for milk production). The meat of mature or almost mature cattle is mostly known as beef. In beef production there are three main stages: cow-calf operat ...

, named after the

Galloway Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. A native or i ...

region of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, where it originated during the seventeenth century. It is usually black, is of average size, is naturally polled and has a thick coat suitable for the harsh climate of Scotland. It is reared mainly for

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...

. In 2022 the Galloway was reported by twenty-three countries. The worldwide population stood at about head, of which the majority were in Northern Europe, with the largest populations in Denmark and Germany.

Etymology

The word 'Galloway' derives from the name of a people, the , meaning 'Scandinavian Gaels'.

History

Polled black cattle were known in Scotland by the sixteenth century at the latest; one is mentioned in an instrument of

sasine Sasine in Scots law is the delivery of feudal property, typically land. Feudal property means immovable property, and includes everything that naturally goes with the property. For land, that would include such things as buildings, trees, and unde ...

dated 1523. The Galloway breed comes from the cattle native to the south-west region of Scotland, first fully developed in the seventeenth century. Originally, there was much variation within this breed, including many different colours and patterns. The original Galloway

herd book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breede ...

only registered black cattle, but the recessive gene for red colour persisted in the population, and eventually

dun A dun is an ancient or medieval fort. In Ireland and Britain it is mainly a kind of hillfort and also a kind of Atlantic roundhouse. Etymology The term comes from Irish language, Irish ''dún'' or Scottish Gaelic ''dùn'' (meaning "fort"), ...

Galloways were also allowed into the herd book. As a result, although black is still the most common colour for Galloways, they can also be red and several shades of dun. In 1877, the Galloway Cattle Society was formed. The Galloway was introduced in Canada in 1853, first registered in 1872, and the first Galloway registry was introduced in the United States in 1882. In 1911, cattle were registered in the American Galloway Herd Book which was first created in 1882. The British Galloway Society was founded in 1908. They did not recognise dun coloured Galloway cattle, which was met with outrage and this ban was later lifted. In 1951, Galloway cattle were introduced to Australia. In the 1950s, the breed enjoyed much success because the beef market demanded low input (feed) cattle with high quality meat. However, the BSE crisis (or mad cow disease) caused an export ban in 1990, although there were no cases of BSE found in Galloway cattle. This created a fear associated with cattle, so breed numbers declined. Since then, there has been a change in demand as bigger leaner carcasses are now favoured. Some of the adjustments made were the adoption of AI and

Embryo Transfer Embryo transfer refers to a step in the process of assisted reproduction in which embryos are placed into the uterus of a female with the intent to establish a pregnancy. This technique (which is often used in connection with in vitro fertilizati ...

. The breed's original characteristics are now back in demand. This is due to the demand of high quality meat that requires economical production. From the early nineteenth century, in south-western Scotland and north-western England, Galloway cows were commonly put to

Shorthorn The Shorthorn breed of cattle originated in the North East of England in the late eighteenth century. The breed was developed as dual-purpose, suitable for both dairy and beef production; however, certain blood lines within the breed always emp ...

bulls to produce a vigorous

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

. If the bull was white, the calf was

blue roan Roan is a horse coat color pattern characterized by an even mixture of colored and white hairs on the body, while the head and " points"—lower legs, mane, and tail—are mostly solid-colored. Horses with roan coats have white hairs evenly ...

in colour – the Blue Grey. These were easily recognisable and were much in demand. In the later nineteenth century,

selection Selection may refer to: Science * Selection (biology), also called natural selection, selection in evolution ** Sex selection, in genetics ** Mate selection, in mating ** Sexual selection in humans, in human sexuality ** Human mating strateg ...

of the

Whitebred Shorthorn Whitebred Shorthorn is a British type of beef cattle originating in north west England and south west Scotland. It is derived from Shorthorn cattle, but is always white, rather than being the range of colours found in other Shorthorns. It has no ...

was begun specifically for production of white sires for these calves. In 2022 the Galloway was reported to

DAD-IS DAD-IS is the acronym of the worldwide Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, within the FAO's management of animal genetic resources programme.Domestic Animal Diversity Infor ...

by twenty-three countries, of which seventeen reported population data. The reported worldwide population stood at about head, of which the majority were in Northern Europe; the largest populations were in Denmark and Germany. The breed is 'rare' in the United States and the

Livestock Conservancy The Livestock Conservancy, formerly known as the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) and prior to that, the American Minor Breeds Conservancy, is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting rare breeds, also known as "h ...

classifies it as a breed to 'watch'.

Characteristics

Galloway cows are of small to medium size, with weights in the range ; bulls normally weigh approximately , but may may reach weights of over . Heifer calves are born at a weight of some , and reach a weight of about at an age of thirteen or fourteen months. Galloways have a thick double-layered coat that is wavy or curly. The coat of hair insulates their bodies so well that they have a minimal outer layer of fat on their bodies, which would otherwise create waste at slaughter. This coat sheds out in the summer months and in warmer climates. It is naturally polled, without horns. This breed's shaggy coat has both a thick, woolly undercoat for warmth and stiffer guard hairs that help shed water, making them well adapted to harsher climates.

Use

There is evidence of Galloway herds being milked in

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

for cheese production.

Notes

References

Societies

Galloway Cattle Society of New Zealand

American Galloway Breeders Association

The Galloway Cattle Society of Great Britain and Ireland

Australian Galloway Association
{{Scottish animal breeds Cattle breeds originating in Scotland Cattle breeds Galloway Conservation Priority Breeds of the Livestock Conservancy