I first got a notion off getting into a native breed when I was busy working off farm during the early 2000s and ended up with Belted Galloways, I thought it would be nice to have another interest separate to the sheep/work.

With the self-catering accommodation, it is nice for the guests to see something a little different too. An open door policy is given to all guests to take as much or as little interest in farm activities while they stay.

Some have taken such a keen interest that they book a return trip each year based around lambing time and at various stages we have had saddleback pigs, donkeys and hens beside the cottages for people to see. Little did I know that taking the Belted Galloways on would end up being a fantastic decision on so many different levels, both farming and socially.

Belted Galloways

I very nearly ended up with a horned breed of cattle. A friend of mine who came with me to inspect the cattle said: “the first thing you will have to do with them is skull and shear them” in a little bit more colourful English.

We settled on “the belties”, as they are known, and have not looked back. At first it was a novelty, but after a few years we realised that there was a lot more to these cattle than we thought.

They are hardy, milky, easy-fleshed and low maintenance and require hardly any veterinary attention. They don’t like sheds and they have the highest butterfat content in their milk of any breed, which makes them excellent sucklers. They will calve to any bull and, as a man who bought some heifers off us said many years later, “they will rear a calf were no other cow will".

Belties tend to not get over fat because of their extremely dense coat of hair and they do not need to lay down fat to keep warm. Feed conversion rates are excellent with them; per kg of food eaten they have an exceptional weight gain.

Now I'm not saying that they are the be all and end all, but they have a far bigger role to play that is generally accepted.

One of their greatest areas for potential is in the cross-bred area to produce a hardy low input high output suckler cow. We have some Freisian x Beltie heifers to calve shortly and they look like they will be fantastic cows. I will keep you updated.

Social

Since getting involved with belties, all the breeders in Ireland have come together to form the Belted Galloway Club of Ireland. I have been secretary of this organisation for three years now.

The club has established showing classes at shows across the country, hosted BBQ farm walks and held demonstration days on preparing your cattle for showing. We have made so many friends through the belties in the last 10 years and have received invitations to visit and stay with so many breeders both here and in the UK.

Because of all this, I was voted onto the Belted Galloway Society Council two years ago, becoming the second Irish person to be elected. It involves travelling to Scotland four times a year for council meetings.

The belties have been a wonderful venture and adventure. The main aim is to produce beef and with all the focus now on “origin green”, belties are renowned for producing exceptionally lean healthy beef. As the society slogan goes “belties breed better beef”