HISTORY OF THE HIGHLAND BREEDS

The Highland breed of cattle has a long and distinguished ancestry, not only in its homeland of western Scotland, but also in many far-flung parts of the world. It is one of the oldest registered breeds of cattle in the world and one of Britain's oldest, most distinctive and best-known breeds. Written records go back to the 18th century and the Highland Cattle Herd Book, first published in 1885, lists every pedigree since that time. With a long, thick, flowing coat of rich hair and majestic sweeping horns, the Highlander breed has remained largely unchanged over the centuries. Although the classic image of a Highland cow today is red they also come in other shades including yellow, brindle, dun, white and also black, the breed’s original colour. Making the most of poor forage, calving outside and seldom housed, they make a real economic contribution to hill and upland areas. The breed is exceptionally hardy with a natural and unique ability to convert poor grazing efficiently. They are remarkable for their longevity with many Highland cows breeding at over 18 years of age and having borne fifteen calves. They are great mothers. Highland Cattle are naturally reared and thrive in the hills and uplands of Britain. Without needing any intensive farming, they produce an excellent modern beef carcass with lean, well-marbled flesh that ensures tenderness and succulence combined with a very distinctive flavour. Beef from Highland Cattle is healthy and nutritious with lower levels of fat and cholesterol, and a higher protein and iron content than other beef. The unique attributes of the pure Highland cow make her the first choice for the breeding of commercial hill cows. These can be sired by many different breeds of bull. More recently, excellent results have been obtained using Aberdeen Angus sires.

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Extracts taken from www.highlandcattlesociety.com