Angus, a breed of black, polled beef cattle, for many years known as Aberdeen Angus, originated in north eastern Scotland in the sixteenth century. Their ancestry is obscure, though the breed appears closely related to the curly-coated Galloway, sometimes called the oldest breed in Britain. Aberdeen Angus were sent to the four corners of the world in the 1800s. The breed was improved early in the 19th century by a number of breeders among whom Hugh Watson and William McCombie were the most famous.

For centuries, the Aberdeen Angus breed has been highly prized as the world’s leader in the cattle breeding industry when looking for high quality output and manageable cattle. Today the term ‘Aberdeen Angus’ is associated with so much more than just a premium quality cattle breed. Its  grass-fed, high-welfare, delicious beef credentials means that the demand for Angus beef continues to grow despite the premium price.

The success of Angus cattle has a lot to do with the marketing and it’s easy to see why. Angus are well known for their growth rate which makes them attractive to producers. An important advantage is that, unlike many other breeds, they can be finished relatively quickly. They possess great maternal ability, known to be easy calvers, with high weaning weight percentage.

The large amount of intramuscular fat found in between the muscle fibers, referred to as marbling, impacts the tenderness and juiciness of the beef. Aberdeen-Angus is the most sustainable of the cattle breeds, feeding off natural resources with a low overall carbon footprint. Thriving in varied conditions and environments, it exhibits its unrivalled versatility.