The History of the Galloway Breed

The Galloway is a breed of beef cattle that was developed to produce quality beef in a harsh environment with minimum input. A breed that has never been pampered yet a breed that has always been expected to thrive, reproduce, and yield a top quality carcass.

The Galloway arrived in Canada from Scotland in 1853 from a cattle population where the unique selection that developed the breed had been the standard for over two centuries. That selection was developed and imposed by practical cattlemen who added selection for temperament, a lack of horns, and quality beef to the selection already in place from Mother Nature for hardiness, mothering, calving ease, and forage conversion.

Practical cattlemen who added selection for beef production without removing selection for environmental adaptation. Practical cattlemen who expected cattle to be a self-reliant source of quality human food with a minimum of human interference. The result is the Galloway -- a breed uniquely suited to sustainable beef production in the twenty first century.

The Galloway:

• Calving ease, mothering, and hardiness reduce the need for veterinary attention.
• A long hair coat facilitates marbling with less fat cover.
• A traditional high roughage diet encourages beneficial fatty acid ratios.
• Four hundred years of selection for beef quality add flavour and texture.

In other words, natural, well marbled beef, with low overall fat content, beneficial fatty acid ratios, and a unique and pleasant taste and texture.