At Golden Mile, our White Galloways are a standout blend of heritage genetics, natural hardiness, and striking good looks.

These rare cattle are known for their snow-white coats, distinctive black points (ears, nose, hooves, and eyelashes), and thick, double-layered hair that offers excellent weather protection. Originally from the rugged hills of Scotland, Galloways are a naturally polled breed with a calm temperament and strong foraging ability, making them ideal for New Zealand’s varied conditions.

We focus on breeding true White Galloways with correct conformation, solid frame, and gentle disposition. Compact in size and easy to handle, they are well suited to lifestyle blocks, boutique breeding programmes, or those wanting low-input, high-character cattle that turn pasture into premium beef.

Our Galloways are carefully selected for quality and raised on open pasture with attentive, ethical care. Their docile nature and unique appearance make them a favourite with families, breeders, and visitors alike. If you're seeking something rare, beautiful, and practical, a White Galloway from Golden Mile may be just what you’re looking for.

BREED HISTORY

The Galloway is one of the world's longest established breeds of beef cattle, named after the Galloway region of Scotland where it originated, during the 17th century.. They are well known for their hardiness, great converters, easy calving with low weight calves and naturally polled.

There have been many myths produced over the years about the family of breeds we call Galloway. It is universally accepted that there are three main Galloway types; the Galloway, a solid colour polled animal that may be black, red or dun including silver, the polled Belted Galloway having a distinctive white belt while the rest of the animal may be black, red or dun including silver, and the White Galloway, a mainly white animal with points of black, red, dun including silver and some variations on these colours.

The other breed that could be considered is the Miniature Galloway which can have all of the above colours and colour patterns but has a restricted height range mandated.

There is universal agreement that the Galloway is an ancient breed native to the Galloway district of South West Scotland, known since the 1600’s. It is one of the oldest beef breeds known.

They are solid colour, hardy, polled and long haired and have always been a beef breed not used as draught animals or milkers. Their superb meat has been recorded over hundreds of years. Some say it most probably traces its origin back to the cattle the Norsemen bought in when they invaded the coastal districts of Scotland.

The Breed

There is universal agreement that the Galloway is an ancient breed native to the Galloway district of South West Scotland, known since the 1600’s. It is one of the oldest beef breeds known. They are solid colour, hardy, polled and long haired and have always been a beef breed not used as draught animals or milkers. Their superb meat has been recorded over hundreds of years.

Some say it most probably traces its origin back to the cattle the Norsemen bought in when they invaded the coastal districts of Scotland. Galloways were first registered, with the Aberdeen Angus, in the Polled Herd-Book from 1862- 1877 when a separate Herd-Book was established. Today the home of the Galloways is in Castle Douglas, where the Galloway Cattle Society is. Galloways were first imported into New Zealand in 1947 from Scotland. They were very popular for some time, but today there are only a few herds in New Zealand.

The Beef

Galloway beef consistently achieves more desirable results in carcass quality determinants such as fat depth, meat colour and pH assuring a tastier and tenderer product.

The Galloway family of cattle, Solids, Belteds and Whites, is a minority breed family in New Zealand. The solid colour Galloway is one of the oldest British beef breeds or even world breeds. Their evolution makes them unique in that Galloways and their successor breeds have a double hair coat, a long hair outer coat and a soft, mohair like inner coat.

The only other animal with a similar coat and incidentally similar meat is the bison however there is no genetic relationship. The relationship is in the environment they evolved in.

The White Galloway

White Galloways are a recent addition to the Galloway family. They are an attractive and beneficial cousin but they do contain genetics that are not Galloway and they have little recorded history. All the White Galloways in New Zealand, Australia, the USA and virtually all in Canada trace to Montana, USA not Galloway, Scotland. The population could have started as early as 1912.

The Bishir family’s oral tradition is that a ‘white park’ colour patterned female was purchased and bred to a black Galloway, her white park colour patterned, polled, long haired Galloway cross descendants were kept. No records or ancestry documentation were kept until after Jim Airth, Walking A Ranches, purchased a long haired, polled, white park patterned female in 1966 from the Bishir’s son-in-law. White Gallo- ways were first registered in USA in 1970, UK 1981, Canada 1990 and with the NZ Galloway Cattle society in 1994.

Why Choose The Galloway Breed?

• Galloways have great adaptability to the varying conditions of altitude, topography, climate, nutrition and management.
  
  
• Galloways have the resilience to cope with feed shortages and to recover quickly from drought and harsh winter conditions.
  
  
• They are easy calving cattle.
  
  
• The Galloway calves grow rapidly and efficiently on pasture or in a feedlot.
  
  
• The Galloway dams are well known for their fertility, hardiness and proven ability to get in calf quickly and consistently.
  
  
• The Galloway dams are good foragers, with a long life span and constant production.
  
  
• The beef consistently achieves more desirable results in carcass quality determinants such as fat depth, meat colour and pH assuring a tastier and more tender product.