Welsh black cattle
Welsh black cattle are large, black animals with black-tipped horns, although some strains may yield polled ones. An occasional white may appear underneath, and depending on the presence of the recessive red gene, individuals of red color might occur also.
The amalgamation of two separate strains of Welsh black cattle, namely the North Wales strain, previously used solely for beef production, and the South Wales or Castlemartin strain, used primarily for milk production, has created the modern Welsh Black cattle breed that possesses the prized characteristics of both strains.
This breed of cattle is renowned for being hardy and highly-adaptable, resulting in an easy-to-manage animal that is well-suited to traditional and modern farming. Welsh black cattle are also prized for their milking ability and their ability to calve easily, for being excellent mothers, and for producing fast-growing calves. Read more
Although the animals continue to be raised traditionally both for their milk and their meat, the commercial focus is solely on beef production. The beef obtained from Welsh black cattle is of high quality and is distinguished by excellent muscle mass and very low fat content.
Once dubbed the black gold from the Welsh hills due to a former practice of using the cattle as currency, this breed is perhaps one of the most ancient British breeds, indigenous to Wales and believed to date back to pre-Roman Britain. Apart from the United Kingdom, the Welsh black cattle are raised in many other parts around the world, nowadays including New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Jamaica, Uganda, Germany, and Spain.
