Why Choose This Breed?

• Galloways have great adaptability to the varying conditions of altitude, topography, climate, nutrition and management.
• Galloways have the resilience to cope with feed shortages and to recover quickly from drought and harsh winter conditions.
• They are easy calving cattle.
• The Galloway calves grow rapidly and efficiently on pasture.
• The Galloway dams are well known for their fertility, hardiness and proven ability to get in calf quickly and consistently.
• The Galloway dams are good foragers, with a long life span and constant production. 
• The beef consistently achieves more desirable results in carcass quality determinants such as fat depth, meat colour and pH assuring a tastier and more tender product.

The Breed

There is universal agreement that the Galloway is an ancient breed native to the Galloway district of South West Scotland, known since the 1600’s. It is one of the oldest beef breeds known. They are solid colour, hardy, polled and long haired and have always been a beef breed not used as draught animals or milkers. Their superb meat has been recorded over hundreds of years.

​Some say it most probably traces its origin back to the cattle the Norsemen bought in when they invaded the coastal districts of Scotland. Galloways were first registered, with the Aberdeen Angus, in the Polled Herd-Book from 1862- 1877 when a separate Herd-Book was established. Today the home of the Galloways is in Castle Douglas, where the Galloway Cattle Society is. Galloways were first imported into New Zealand in 1947 from Scotland. They were very popular for some time, but today there are only a few herds in New Zealand.

The Beef

Galloway beef consistently achieves more desirable results in carcass quality determinants such as fat depth, meat colour and pH assuring a tastier and tenderer product.
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The Galloway family of cattle, Solids, Belteds and Whites, is a minority breed family in New Zealand. The solid colour Galloway is one of the oldest British beef breeds or even world breeds. Their evolution makes them unique in that Galloways and their successor breeds have a double hair coat, a long hair outer coat and a soft, mohair like inner coat.

​The only other animal with a similar coat and incidentally similar meat is the bison however there is no genetic relationship. The relationship is in the environment they evolved in.

Interested in joining the society or looking to purchase cattle?

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​Thank you - The New Zealand Galloway Society

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