View source for Belted Galloway

{{Short description|Scottish breed of cattle}}
{{Good article}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox cattle breed
| name          = Belted Galloway
| image         = A_Ring_in_the_End_of_His_Nose_-_geograph.org.uk_-_302187.jpg
| image_size    = 
| image_alt     = a black cow with a broad white stripe round its middle
| image_caption = Bull close to [[Bishopstone, Salisbury|Bishopstone]], near [[Salisbury]]
| status        = {{ubl|[[FAO]] (2007): not at risk{{r|barb|page=143}}|[[Rare Breeds Survival Trust|RBST]] (2019): not listed{{r|rbst}}|[[Livestock Conservancy]]: recovering{{r|albc}}}}
| distribution  = world-wide
| use           = {{ubl|beef|[[vegetation management]]}}
| altname       = {{ubl|Beltie|Sheeted Galloway|White-middled Galloway}}
| country       = United Kingdom (Scotland)
| standard      = 
| weight        =
| maleweight    = {{val|750|–|1000|u=kg}}{{r|cabi|page=129}}
| femaleweight  = {{val|450|–|600|u=kg}}{{r|cabi|page=129}}
| height        =
| maleheight    = 
| femaleheight  = 
| coat          = black with broad white stripe around middle
| horn          = [[polled livestock|polled]]
| subspecies    = Taurus
| note          =
}}
[[File:Belted Galloway cow J4.jpg|thumb|Cow in [[Belgium]]]]
[[File:Belted galloway bull.jpg|thumb|Bull in [[Denmark]]]]
[[File:Belted Galloway cattle in a field in Camden, Maine.png|thumb|Cattle in [[Maine]]]]
The '''Belted Galloway''' is a traditional Scottish breed of [[beef cattle]]. It derives from the [[Galloway (cattle)|Galloway]] stock of the [[Galloway]] region of south-western [[Scotland]], and was established as a separate breed in 1921. It is adapted to living on the poor [[upland pasture]]s and windswept [[moorland]]s of the region. The exact origin of the breed is unclear, although the white belt for which they are named, and which distinguishes the breed from black Galloway cattle, is often surmised to be the result of [[cross-breeding]] with the similarly coloured Dutch [[Lakenvelder (cattle)|Lakenvelder]].

The cattle are reared principally for [[beef]]; they may also be kept for [[Ornamental animal|ornament]] or for [[conservation grazing]] (vegetation management).

== History ==

The Belted Galloway derives from the traditional [[Galloway (cattle)|Galloway]] stock of the [[Galloway]] region of south-western [[Scotland]], which in turn form part of a broader group of traditional Scottish cattle including the [[Aberdeen Angus]] and [[Highland (cattle)|Highland]] breeds.{{r|cabi|page=129}} The Galloway is most often black, but other colours occur; the white-belted or white-middled Galloway was one of them. The origin of the white belt is unknown; it is thought to have resulted from some [[cross-breeding]] with the Dutch [[Lakenvelder (cattle)|Lakenvelder]] in the seventeenth century.{{r|cabi|page=129}}

From 1852, both Aberdeen Angus and Galloways could be registered in a [[Herd book|herd-book]] for [[polled livestock|polled]] cattle. A separate Galloway herd-book was established in 1878. In 1921 a group of breeders set up the Dun and Belted Galloway Association, which – as the name suggests – registered both belted and [[dun gene|dun-coloured]] animals; its first herd-book was published in 1922. In 1951 registration of non-belted dun cattle was discontinued, and the society changed its name to the Belted Galloway Society.{{r|cabi|page=129}} It also maintains herd-books for the Red Galloway and the White Galloway.{{r|cabi|page=129}}

In the twentieth century the Belted Galloway was exported to many countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States. [[Breed societies]] were started in New Zealand in 1948, in the United States in 1951, and in Australia in 1975.{{r|cabi|page=129}}

Like other breeds, the Belted Galloway suffered heavily during the epidemic of [[2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak|foot-and-mouth disease in the British Isles in 2001]], and a substantial part of the total population was lost. By 2007, numbers had recovered to the point where it could be removed from the endangered native breed watchlist of the [[Rare Breeds Survival Trust]];{{r|cabi|page=129}} in the same year the global breed population was listed by the [[FAO]] as "not at risk".{{r|barb|page=143}} In 2012, there were approximately {{val|3,500}} registered breeding cows in the United Kingdom.{{r|cabi|page=129}}

In 2022 it was listed by the American [[Livestock Conservancy]] as "watch";{{r|albc}} in 2015 the total number in the United States was reported to be {{val|1468}}.{{r|dad}}

== Characteristics ==

The cattle are always belted, with a broad white belt completely encircling the body between the shoulder and the hind legs. For bulls, no white is permitted anywhere else on the animal; cows with some limited white markings on the lower legs can be registered in an appendix of the herd-book. The rest of the coat is normally black, but can also be [[dun gene|dun]] or – more rarely – red.{{r|cabi|page=129}} The dun colour is caused by a mutation in the [[PMEL (gene)|''PMEL'']] gene, the same mutation that causes dun and silver dun in [[Highland (cattle)|Highland]] cattle.{{r|ag|p=9}} The coat is double: a long coarse outer coat gives protection from rain, and a fine soft undercoat keeps the animal warm; the cattle do not need to develop thick subcutaneous fat for warmth in winter, and the meat tends to leanness as a result.{{r|rbst2}}

Body weights may depend on both on climatic conditions and on the type of forage available. They are usually in the range {{val|450|–|600|u=kg}} for cows, and {{val|750|–|1000|u=kg}} for bulls.{{r|cabi|page=129}} Belted Galloways are generally of a quiet temperament, but cows have a strong maternal instinct and protect calves against perceived threats.{{r|rbst2}} At least one person has been trampled by a herd of these cattle.{{r|bbc}}

The Belted Galloway is well adapted to harsh climatic conditions, hill terrain and rough grazing on coarse grasses;{{r|cabi|page=129}} it is normal for the cattle to be kept out throughout the winter, regardless of the weather.{{r|rbst2}}

== Use ==

The Belted Galloway is reared mainly for beef; it may also be used for [[vegetation management]], otherwise known as conservation grazing.{{r|felius|p=35}} Cattle reared on forage alone may take up to four years to be ready for slaughter; beef from such cattle may have higher-than-usual levels of [[omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids]].{{r|cabi|page=129}}

An old strain is listed as the "Original Belted Galloway Cattle" in the [[Ark of Taste]] of the [[Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity]].{{r|slow}}

<gallery mode=packed heights=150px style="text-align:left; font-size: resize">
File:Belted galloways bei neukoog nordstrand.JPG|On [[Nordstrand, Germany|Nordstrand]], in [[Nordfriesland]]
File:Belted Galloways.jpg|In the [[Yorkshire Dales]]
File:Male_Belted_Galloway_Calf.jpg|Red bull calf in [[Gloucestershire]]
</gallery>

== References ==
{{commons category}}
{{reflist|45em|refs=

<ref name=ag>Sheila M. Schmutz, Dayna L. Dreger (2013). [https://eds.s.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=6f1ddfa6-6e4a-4f8c-86b8-c959241194e0%40redis Interaction of ''MC1R'' and ''SILV'' alleles on solid coat colors in Highland Cattle]. ''Animal Genetics''. '''44''' (1): 9–13. {{doi|10.1111/j.1365-2052.2012.02361.x}}.</ref>

<ref name=albc>[https://web.archive.org/web/20221128053057/https://livestockconservancy.org/heritage-breeds/heritage-breeds-list/belted-galloway-cattle/ Belted Galloway Cattle]. The Livestock Conservancy. Archived 28 November 2022.</ref>

<ref name=barb>Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20200623201209/http://www.fao.org/3/a1250e/annexes/List%20of%20breeds%20documented%20in%20the%20Global%20Databank%20for%20Animal%20Genetic%20Resources/List_breeds.pdf List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources], annex to [https://web.archive.org/web/20170110125634/http://www.fao.org/3/a-a1250e.pdf ''The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture'']. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. {{isbn|9789251057629}}. Archived 23 June 2020.</ref>

<ref name=bbc>[s.n.] (20 September 2019). [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-49775279 Woman trampled to death by cattle at Linchmere Common, inquest hears]. ''BBC News''. Accessed February 2023.</ref>

<ref name=cabi>Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). [https://books.google.it/books?id=2UEJDAAAQBAJ&hl=en ''Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding''] (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. {{isbn|9781780647944}}.</ref>

<ref name=dad>[https://dadis-breed-datasheet-ext-ws.firebaseapp.com/?country=USA&specie=Cattle&breed=Belted%20Galloway&lang=en Breed data sheet: Belted Galloway / United States of America (Cattle)]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2023.</ref>

<ref name=felius>Marleen Felius (1995). [https://books.google.it/books?id=iXImAQAAMAAJ&hl=en ''Cattle Breeds: An Encyclopedia'']. Doetinchem, Netherlands: Misset. {{isbn|9789054390176}}.</ref>

<ref name=rbst>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190503091605/https://www.rbst.org.uk/pages/category/cattle-watchlist Cattle watchlist]. Kenilworth, Warwickshire: Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Archived 3 May 2019.</ref>

<ref name=rbst2>[https://web.archive.org/web/20161227042823/http://www.rbst.org.uk/Rare-and-Native-Breeds/Cattle/Belted-Galloway Belted Galloway]. Kenilworth, Warwickshire: Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Archived 27 December 2016.</ref>

<ref name=slow>[https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/original-belted-galloway-cattle/ Original Belted Galloway Cattle]. Bra, Cuneo: Fondazione Slow Food per la Biodiversità Onlus/Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. Accessed May 2019.</ref>

}}

{{British livestock|R.}}
{{Scottish animal breeds}}
{{Agriculture of Scotland}}

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[[Category:Cattle breeds originating in Scotland]]
[[Category:Conservation Priority Breeds of the Livestock Conservancy]]
[[Category:Dairy cattle breeds]]