Native Scottish Angus History

The polled cattle of North Eastern Scotland were first recorded on sculptured stones in the early Christian era.   During the great social, industrial and farming changes in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries Agrarian and Industrial Revolution's demand for food grew with the increase in population. The cattle breeders of Scotland appreciated their native polled cattle known in Angus as doddies and in Aberdeen as Buchan hummlies, also butchers and consumers throughout Britain became increasingly aware of their premium beef. 

Producers turned more and more to the Aberdeen and Angus cattle because they thrived under all conditions and then could be finished quickly to a premium product.

With the recognition of benefits from understanding the animals background breeding, or pedigree, in 1862 the first Herd Book was published.   Many Aberdeen-Angus breeders over the years have contributed to the breed,  and in the Herd Book volumes from 1862 to 1969,  an average over 4440 Aberdeen-Angus were being registered per year.

By the late 1960s notions of breeding began to change the way an animals performance was assessed. 

Sensibly weight gain figures were being recorded, but too soon were being used as the only criterion for selection, then came the EPDs  EBVs ...  all being used without making objective judgement of how, or at what expense, the gain was being achieved or the long term consequences.  It has all too often been at the expense of quality, fertility, conformation, soundness, longevity and other qualities so valued in the Angus breed or indeed many British Native breeds.