What is so special about meat from British native breeds?
The British beef industry is generally regarded as the most highly regulated in the world. British beef (that is, meat derived from cattle born, raised and finished in the UK) is simply beyond comparison with that which is imported into UK from elsewhere. That said, the great proportion of British meat sold as beef to the consumer is derived from the dairy industry – that is from the male progeny of non-beef breeds – or from the larger, faster maturing “Continental” cattle which are now so popular in the UK livestock industry. We are not being judgemental; these beasts are perfectly fine in their way and entirely suited for the intended “commodity beef” market – it is just that they are not native British breeds, that’s all . . . “Well, so what?” The larger the frame size of a beef animal, the more difficult it is to finish on grass. Native breeds such as Galloways and Highlanders are rather smaller in stature than their high performance Continental counterparts and do not thrive when
The British beef industry is generally regarded as the most highly regulated in the world. British beef (that is, meat derived from cattle born, raised and finished in the UK) is simply beyond comparison with that which is imported into UK from elsewhere. That said, the great proportion of British meat sold as beef to the consumer is derived from the dairy industry – that is from the male progeny of non-beef breeds – or from the larger, faster maturing “Continental” cattle which are now so popular in the UK livestock industry. We are not being judgemental; these beasts are perfectly fine in their way and entirely suited for the intended “commodity beef” market – it is just that they are not native British breeds, that’s all . . . “Well, so what?” The larger the frame size of a beef animal, the more difficult it is to finish on grass. Native breeds such as Galloways and Highlanders are rather smaller in stature than their high performance Continental counterparts and do not thrive when
