History

The Belted Galloway (Belties) are a breed of cattle originating from Galloway on the west side of southern Scotland more than 300 years ago. The exact origin of the breed is unclear although it is usually accepted that the white belt that distinguishes these cattle from the native black Galloway cattle is a result of breeding with the Dutch Lakenvelder belted cattle. It is the belt that gives them their name. Belted Galloways are primarily raised for their quality marbled beef, although they are also purchased to adorn pastures due to their striking appearance. For sheer eye appeal, no breed is more distinctive in the paddock. They have a "double coat" of hair, consisting of a long, shaggy overcoat and a soft, thick undercoat, providing excellent insulation in cold, bleak weather and reducing the amount of feed intake required to maintain body weight. The Beltie is naturally polled and when crossed with another breed, the growth of horns will be prevented. 

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​The first belted Galloway cattle arrived in New Zealand in 1947, imported by a Wairarapa breeder. This hardy breed from south-west Scotland, with a distinctive white belt around its middle, can thrive in rough, cold hill country.

 

In the United States, Belties are often nicknamed Oreo cows because their colour pattern is reminiscent of an Oreo biscuit, which consists of chocolate coloured disks with a cream filling in between.

 

Mini Belties have all the characteristics of standard Belted Galloways but offer it in smaller animals which can be beneficial for many potential users such as those on small acreage farms. There is also a growing trend to use Mini Belties in the restaurant trade where small cuts of beef are ideally suited to meal serving sizes. The maximum height requirement to be classified as a Mini Beltie bull is 125cm at the hip as an adult and 120cm for a female. In Australia, Miniature Belted Galloways  have  only been recognised for inclusion in their own category in breed society Herd Books for around the last 20 years.