GALLOWAY BREED IN BULGARIA – CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABLE BEEF CATTLE BREEDING

It is important for beef cattle breeding to ensure responsible animal husbandry and food production, which entails economic, social and environmental implications. Furthermore, it is essential to guarantee a genetic resource prepared for the different challenges of our times. This study includes information about beef cattle breeding in Bulgaria, and describes the characteristics of the Galloway breed. The numerical data presented in the study are based on the available information included in various references in the Agrostatistics database of the Ministry of Agriculture and Foods, agrarian reports of the same ministry and the Executive Agency for Selection and Reproduction in Animal Breeding (EASRAB). The Galloway breed is one of the oldest and purest of local cattle breeds. They are known for their resilience and can subsist on the scarcest of lands, which is important under the conditions of current climatic and other challenges. Regarding the Genetic Reserve and the Gen Bank, registered by the EASRAB, the available information shows that there is no registered reserve and genetic bank for the Galloway breed in Bulgaria. This requires further studies and proposals for the inclusion of the Galloway breed in the selection and reproduction aimed at the development of sustainable beef cattle farming.