The Luing cattle are a breed of beef cattle which are raised primarily for meat production. The breed was developed by the Cadzow brothers (Ralph, Denis and Shane) on the island of Luing in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland in 1947.
The breed derived from crossing the Beef Shorthorn with the Highland breed. The Cadzow brothers crossbred two types of cattle to produce the Luing; the Highland as the heifer and the Beef Shorthorn as the bull, and were the first new breed of cattle developed in Britain in over 100 years.
The Shorthorn was chosen because of it’s fleshing qualities and flavor of meat, and the Highland was chosen because it contributes the hardiness that now we can see in the breed. The three sons established the Luing cattle breed that we have today, through a breeding program.
The Luing cattle breed was officially recognized by the British Government in 1965. The Cadzow family continue to raise the Luing cattle and the breed remains popular on the surrounding isles, including Torsa and Scarba.
The breed is highly regarded for it’s hardiness and ease of handling. And it has been exported to many countries across the world including New Zealand and Canada. These animals were named after the island of Luing. Read more information about this cattle breed below.
Luing Cattle Characteristics
Luing cattle are medium-large sized animal. They are usually red-brown or dun in color with medium length hair. Average height of the bulls is about 140 cm, and 130 cm for cows.
The cows on average weight about 500 kg. And average body weight of the bulls is about 950 kg. Info and photo from Wikipedia.
Uses
The intent was to produce a good beef cow with the ability to raise a calf under adverse weather conditions. Today these animals are mainly raised for meat production.
Special Notes
Luing cattle are moderately sized and extremely hardy animals. They are long lived animals. And the cows will give birth to 10 calves in their lifetime. The breed is highly regarded for hardiness and ease of handling.
This breed is still farmed today. They are mainly farmed in Scotland, but also in other areas of the world. Review full breed profile of the breed in the following table.
| Breed Name | Luing |
| Other Names | None |
| Breed Purpose | Meat |
| Special Notes | Active, Hardy |
| Breed Size | Heavy |
| Bulls | About 950 kg |
| Cows | About 500 kg |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
| Coat Color | Red, Dun |
| Horned | No |
| Milk Yield | Low |
| Rarity | Common |
| Country/Place of Origin | Scotland |
