After what is described by the Galloway Cattle Society as 'sustained and stable growth', the Galloway has been removed from DEFRA's UK Breed at Risk Register (UK BAR). This follows a 12% year-on-year increase in registered numbers. 

The Galloway breed dropped below the 3,000 registered breeding females threshold in 2017, but steady growth has seen the population remain above that threshold for the past three years. The Society says that interest in the breed has been driven by a strong demand for high-quality Galloway beef, combined with the breed’s suitability for low input and regenerative systems.

For the past six years, the Galloway Cattle Society has been exploring market development opportunities, underpinned by data and market insights from its members. Amongst those was a growing interest in the environment and climate and a recent member survey found that 97 percent of Galloway farmers consider Net Zero to be an opportunity for the breed. Almost half stated that they are already farming regeneratively.

Breed Secretary Dorothy Goldie said: ““People are seeing how well aligned Galloways are with environmentally friendly farming systems, which is going to become more important in the future. The Galloway is no longer an old-fashioned breed of the past – it’s a breed that’s ideal for the farming of tomorrow.”