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Cattle
Gloucester
2008 Watchlist; Category 4, At Risk.
The native breed of Gloucestershire originally was used for dairy production and occasionally as draught oxen, but was superseded by specialist breeds and now is classified as dual-purpose as it also produces beef. The breed has always been associated with Gloucester cheese. Single Gloucester can, by official designation, only be made on farms in Gloucestershire which have a pedigree herd of Gloucester cattle.
Following the decline of the breed in the 18th and 19th centuries, the formation of a breed society in 1919 triggered a resurgence, but by mid-century the numbers had fallen again and the society faded. In 1972, when the current breed society reformed, only 68 animals remained. This number has grown steadily ever since.
An attractive medium-sized animal, the Gloucester is black-brown in colour. It has a white stripe on the back, down the hindquarters including the tail and along the belly. The head and legs are black. Horns are medium in length and typically upswept and fine. Yields of milk are not high by modern standards but the milk is well suited to cheese making. The fine-grained marbled beef benefits from maturing slowly.