 Shetland cattle in a pasture | |
| Country of origin | Scotland |
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| Distribution |
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| Use | |
| Traits | |
| Weight |
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| Coat | white spots upon black, fine-haired |
| Horn status | horned |
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The Shetland is a small, hardy Scottish breed of cattle from the Shetland Islands to the north of mainland Scotland. The cattle are normally black and white in colour but there are smaller numbers in grey, red and dun.
Cattle were one of the originally domesticated breeds of livestock kept by the Neolithic settlers of the Shetland islands. This happened probably no later than circa 3,600 BC. The early remains indicate a very large animal for these early farmers to cope with. It is believed these early cattle were young aurochs (Bos primigenius primigenius), captured in the Scottish forests, the direct ancestor. [1]
Cattle bones found in these early Shetland settlements show evidence of domestication. Their joints show traces of arthritis, the teeth indicate periods of stress (manifested as rings of lighter and darker ridges), indicating regular winter hardship. Gradually, a smaller animal started to appear in the archaeological remains, and by the Bronze Age, starting ca 2,500 BC, two types of cattle appear in the remains, a larger and a smaller one. The smaller one seems to have been favoured and by the Iron Age, starting around 2,000 years ago, it is the only type occurring in the sites. [2] This animal was just over one meter high at the shoulder and was described as “a short-legged, stocky, short-horned beast” descended from a small gene pool. [3] A court record from 1797 describes the cattle – in terms of colours, names, ages and heights – of a particular farm involved in a legal settlement, and based on this description the cattle still had the small size of their Iron Age ancestors. [4] Today the island cattle remain small, standing about 1.2 metres high at the withers, with a light bone structure, thin hide, fine hair and long tail with a white switch. They were once multi-coloured, but modern selection has favoured predominantly black or black and white cattle. [4]
Alexander Fenton, [5] citing Forsyth [6] and Shirreff [7] gives an estimate of just over 40,000 head of cattle in 1808 and less than half of that, circa 15,000 in 1814 due to the expansion in the human population. [8] [9] The small tenanted farms or crofts were made smaller by the land-owning lairds to increase the number of tenants they could oblige to undertake the haaf (deep-sea) fishery for them. This was a period of starvation and poverty for Shetlanders and their livestock. As the Haaf fishery trade in salted, dried fish waned, the lairds cleared off many of their tenants in favour of sheep ranching and where possible heavier British breeds of cattle. The Shetland cow supported many families children through these hard times. Only a breed with special traits could cope with such extremes. [10]
The period of agricultural improvement during the 19th century saw imported heavy breeds of cattle, sheep and horses arrive that was to the detriment of the native breeds. The early years of the 20th century saw something of a revival in interest and appreciation in the Shetland. The Shetland Cattle Herd Book Society was established with a Register being produced for 1912. The Herd Book described the breed's features and provided a register of calves and bulls. The SCHBS carried on through the First World War but stalled in 1921 amid the post-war privations. This short-lived renaissance was subsequently damaged by the UK Government determining that the new post-Second World War incentives of subsidies should not apply to Shetland cattle. While the Shetland cattle could thrive on inhospitable lands, the evolution of agricultural practices and chemicals made grass more plentiful for less hardy breeds, whose larger bulls could sire calves that would grow larger and more quickly. [11] [12] Increasing the size of the cattle was attractive in the aftermath of John Boyd-Orr's influential studies in the 1930s, which revealed a deficiency in the "midst of plenty" among the United Kingdom's urban proletariat, whose diet lacked meat. [13] The UK Department of Agriculture and latterly the Crofters Commission made available bulls of much larger breeds favoured by UK mainland markets. This combined with the hard economics of the period to remove thousands of native cows through cross-breeding. Subsidy-driven agriculture nearly destroyed the Shetland cattle. [14]
By the time oil was discovered off Shetland, the breed was near extinction and was saved primarily through the efforts of people like T. A. U. Fraser (known as Tammy o da Glebe). He started in 1938 with a stock of four cattle [15] and in the early 1980s was able to help re-establish the breed following the dispersal of his herd. [15] The year 1981 saw a determined attempt to, once again, save the breed through the establishment of the New Foundation Herd Book and Shetland Cattle Herd Book Society (SCHBS). For a period of time Shetland Islands Council assisted with support for purebred calves. In recent years no financial support has been offered by either Governments or agencies leaving the breed's future in the hands of volunteers. [4]
During the Falklands War, five pregnant cows and one bull were sent to the Falkland Islands, to replace livestock killed in the conflict. They were sent by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, which surprised many, given how rare the cattle were. At that time, only 121 adult cows were registered; and this was seen as a way to boost numbers. [16]
The Shetland Cattle Herd Book Society has fought since 1981 to maintain the Herd Book in the islands of Shetland as the home of the breed. The SCHBS led several initiatives to record the special traits of the breed. These included weaning weight analysis [17] and fatty acid analysis. As an ‘unimproved’ breed it still retains healthsome characteristics that have been lost from modern breeds. The meat and milk of the breed are proven through a range of studies to contain far more minerals and healthy fatty acids and far less unhealthy trans fatty acids than conventional modern breeds. [18] [19] [20]
Efforts to restore the Shetland breed continue. The Shetland Cattle Herd Book Society continues to protect the breed. The SCHBS now hosts a database and semen store where valuable genetics are preserved to maintain valuable traits and made available to members. [21] The Shetland Cattle Breeder's Association, a group of mainland UK breeders, also provides assistance to its members concerning genetic records, breeding plans, husbandry, and the location of Shetland breeders. The association also provides advertising services for its members. [22]
Shetland cattle are usually black and white, similar in colour to the Holstein Friesian breed. However, an estimated 10 per cent are red and white, while a small but growing percentage are dun and grey. [23] The cows are typically smaller than most, ranging from 350 kg (770 lb)—450 kg (990 lb), while the bulls range from 550 kg (1,210 lb)—600 kg (1,300 lb). They are regarded as small in size by most breeders and organisations. Their horns curve upwards, but these are trimmed during commercial production. [8]
A long hairy coat protects the cattle during the winter, but this is shed during the summer months. Many breeders see many desirable traits in Shetland cattle, such as easy calving and fast growing to adult size. [14]
Shetland cattle are used as beef cattle in speciality, niche markets. These cattle are usually kept on small-scale farms that rely on a high income from sales and low maintenance costs for feed. The cattle are also still kept by a very small number of self-sufficient people in Shetland. [12] There are currently 800 registered breeding cows and an average of 180 calves born each year. [8]
The Canchim is a breed of beef cattle developed in Central Brazil by crossing European Charolais cattle with Indubrazil cattle already kept in Brazil where Asian Zebu type cattle are best suited to the tropical conditions. When compared with Zebu bulls, Canchim bulls produce the same number of calves, but heavier and of superior quality. Compared to European breeds, the Canchim bull produces calves with the same weight but in larger numbers. The fast-growing progeny, from crossbred zebu cows with Canchim bulls, can be slaughtered at 18 months old from feedlots after weaning, up to 24 months old from feedlots after grazing and at 30 months from grazing on the range.
The Red Poll is a dual-purpose breed of cattle developed in England in the latter half of the 19th century. The Red Poll is a cross of the Norfolk Red beef cattle and Suffolk Dun dairy cattle breeds.
The Highland is a Scottish breed of rustic cattle. It originated in the Scottish Highlands and the Western Islands of Scotland and has long horns and a long shaggy coat. It is a hardy breed, able to withstand the intemperate conditions in the region. The first herd-book dates from 1885; two types – a smaller island type, usually black, and a larger mainland type, usually dun – were registered as a single breed. It is reared primarily for beef, and has been exported to several other countries.
The Aberdeen Angus, sometimes simply Angus, is a Scottish breed of small beef cattle. It derives from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Kincardine and Angus in north-eastern Scotland. In 2018 the breed accounted for over 17% of the beef production in the United Kingdom.
The Holstein Friesian is an international breed or group of breeds of dairy cattle. It originated in Frisia, stretching from the Dutch province of North Holland to the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is the dominant breed in industrial dairy farming worldwide, and is found in more than 160 countries. It is known by many names, among them Holstein, Friesian and Black and White.
The Brahman is an American breed of zebuine-taurine hybrid beef cattle. It was bred in the United States from 1885 from cattle originating in India, imported at various times from the United Kingdom, India, and Brazil. These were mainly Gir, Guzerá and Nelore stock, with some Indu-Brasil, Krishna Valley and Ongole. The Brahman has a high tolerance of heat, sunlight and humidity, and good resistance to parasites. It has been exported to many countries, particularly in the tropics; in Australia it is the most numerous breed of cattle. It has been used in the creation of numerous taurine-indicine hybrids, some of which – such as the Brangus and Brahmousin – are established as separate breeds.
The Galloway is a Scottish breed of beef cattle, named after the Galloway region of Scotland, where it originated during the seventeenth century.
The Guernsey is a breed of dairy cattle from the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is fawn or red and white in colour, and is hardy and docile. Its milk is rich in flavour, high in fat and protein, and has a golden-yellow tinge due to its high β-carotene content. The Guernsey is one of three Channel Island cattle breeds; the other two are the Alderney, which is now extinct, and the Jersey.
Dairy cattle are cattle bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species Bos taurus.
The Dairy Shorthorn is a British breed of dairy cattle. It derives from the Shorthorn cattle of Teesside, in the North Riding of Yorkshire and in Northumbria in north-eastern England. The Shorthorn was for this reason at first known as the Durham or Teeswater.
The Dexter is an Irish breed of small cattle. It originated in the eighteenth century in County Kerry, in south-western Ireland, and appears to be named after a man named Dexter, who was factor of the estates of Lord Hawarden on Valentia Island. Until the second half of the nineteenth century it was considered a type within the Kerry breed.
The Murray Grey is an Australian breed of polled beef cattle. It originated between 1905 and 1917 in the upper Murray River valley, on the border between New South Wales and Victoria. It is similar in appearance to the Aberdeen Angus, from which it largely derives, but is grey, silver or dun in colour.
The Afrikaner or Africander is an African breed of taurine-indicine cattle in the Sanga group of African cattle. It is derived from the cattle of the Khoikhoi (Hottentot) people which were already present in the area of modern South Africa when the Dutch East India Company established the Cape Colony in 1652.
The Belted Galloway is a traditional Scottish breed of beef cattle. It derives from the Galloway cattle 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 pastures and windswept moorlands 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 breed.
The Senepol breed of beef cattle was developed on the Caribbean Island of St. Croix. It has long been thought that Senepol originated from just crosses between N'Dama cattle, imported in the late 19th century, and Red Poll cattle, but it is actually an admixed breed that consists of Red Poll, N'Dama, Criola and a trace amount of Zebu. The Senepol breed combines characteristics of heat tolerance and insect resistance with the docile nature, good meat, and high milk production of the Red Poll. They are polled, short haired, and colored red, black or brown.
The Limousin, French: Limousine, is a French breed of beef cattle from the Limousin and Marche regions of France. It was formerly used mainly as a draught animal, but in modern times is reared for beef. A herd-book was established in France in 1886. With the mechanisation of agriculture in the twentieth century, numbers declined. In the 1960s there were still more than 250 000 head, but the future of the breed was not clear; it was proposed that it be merged with the other blonde draught breeds of south-western France – the Blonde des Pyrénées, the Blonde de Quercy and the Garonnaise – to form the new Blonde d'Aquitaine. Instead, a breeders' association was formed; new importance was given to extensive management, to performance recording and to exports. In the twenty-first century the Limousin is the second-most numerous beef breed in France after the Charolais. It is a world breed, raised in about eighty countries round the world, many of which have breed associations.
The Buelingo is a modern American composite breed of belted beef cattle, created in North Dakota, in the United States. It is named for Russ Bueling, who owned the foundation stock in the early 1970s.
The Australian Lowline is a modern Australian breed of small, polled beef cattle. It was the result of a selective breeding experiment using black Aberdeen Angus cattle at the Agricultural Research Centre of the Department of Agriculture of New South Wales at Trangie. It is among the smallest breeds of cattle, but is not a dwarf breed.
A bull is an intact adult male of the species Bos taurus (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species, bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, including for sacrifices. These animals play a significant role in beef ranching, dairy farming, and a variety of sporting and cultural activities, including bullfighting and bull riding.
The Bohuskulla is an endangered Swedish breed of hornless mountain cattle. It originates from the area of the Kynnefjäll plateau in northern Bohuslän and Dalsland, in western Sweden. It is a traditional domestic Swedish breed, and derives from a group of cattle discovered in the 1990s in Skepplanda, in Västergötland, close to the border with Bohuslän. Microsatellite analysis has shown it to be closely related to the Fjällko mountain cattle of Sweden.
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