Luing cattle (pronounced ''ling cattle'') are a beef breed developed on the island of

Luing Luing ( ; Gaelic: ''Luinn'') is one of the Slate Islands, Firth of Lorn, in the west of Argyll in Scotland, about south of Oban. The island has an area of and is bounded by several small skerries and islets. It has a population of around 200 peo ...

in the

Inner Hebrides The Inner Hebrides (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Na h-Eileanan a-staigh'', "the inner isles") is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, whic ...

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 ...

by the Cadzow brothers in 1947. It was formed by first crossbreeding

Beef Shorthorn The Beef Shorthorn breed of cattle was developed from the Shorthorn breed in England and Scotland around 1820.Friend, John B., Cattle of the World, Blandford Press, Dorset, 1978, The Shorthorn was originally developed as a dual-purpose breed, ...

with Highland cattle and then breeding the resulting progeny with Beef Shorthorns to produce an animal three quarters Beef Shorthorn, one quarter Highland. The breed of red-brown cattle are moderately sized and extremely hardy. The intent was to produce a good beef cow with the ability to raise a calf under adverse weather conditions. It was officially recognised as a breed by the British government in 1965. The breed is still farmed today, mainly in Scotland but also in other areas of the world.

History

Luings were first created by the Cadzow brothers; Ralph, Denis and Shane, in 1947. They crossbred two types of cattle to produce the Luing; the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

as the heifer and the

as the bull, and were the first new breed of cattle developed in Britain in over 100 years. The Highland was chosen as it contributes the hardiness that we see in the breed today and the Shorthorn because of its fleshing qualities and flavour of meat. Through a breeding programme, the three sons established the breed that we have today. In 1965, the breed was officially recognised by the British Government.

Today

The Cadzow family continue to farm on Luing and the breed remains popular on the surrounding isles, including

Scarba Scarba ( gd, Sgarba) is an island, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, just north of the much larger island of Jura. The island was owned by Richard Hill, 7th Baron Sandys, and has not been permanently inhabited since the 1960s. It is now covered in ...

and

Torsa Torsa (occasionally Torsay) is one of the Slate Islands in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Lying east of Luing and south of Seil, this tidal island was inhabited until the 1960s. There is now only one house there, which is used for holiday lets. The ...

. The breed has been exported to countries across the world including Canada and New Zealand, and is highly regarded for hardiness and ease of handling and marbling of its meat.

Characteristics

The average Luing cow will give birth to 10 calves in a lifetime because of their longevity. This has been attributed to the traits inherited from their Highland cattle ancestors. They typically have hair of a medium length and a red or

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"), ...

coloured coat.

References

External links

Luing Cattle SocietyLuing Germany
* :cs:Luingský skot {{Agriculture of Scotland Cattle breeds originating in Scotland Luing Cattle breeds Red cattle