In Herefordshire in the 1770's the Herefordshire breed was the first accepted as an distinct breed of cattle. The Hereford breed developed on the rich pastures of Herefordshire and is bred to produce the highest quality red marbled beef from grass alone. Since the early 1800's, Herefords have been bred in Ireland and we have kept the tradition of grass-based beef production at which our breed excels. The origin of the Hereford is shrouded in the mists of time but it is generally agreed that it was founded on the draught ox decended from the small red cattle of Roman Britian and from a large white Welsh breed once numerous along the border of England and Wales.
The Hereford Herd Book Society was founded in 1878, The herd book was opened in 1846 and since1886 has been closed to any animal whose sire or dam had not been previously entered so that for over 150 years the purity of the breed has remained intact. Because of its performance as a crossing sire on commercial cattle and indigenous breeds in many countries the impact of the Hereford on world beef production can hardly be appreciated. This widespread popularity could only have come about because farmers, ranchers and feeders found the Hereford to be consistently profitable under a wide range of climates and conditions. More than five million pedigree Herefords exist in over 50 countries.
The Hereford export trade began in 1817 spreading across the United States and Canada through Mexico to the great beef raising countries of South America. Today, Herefords dominate the world scene from the praries to the pampas and the Russian Steppes. The former USSR has more than two million white-faced cattle, Austrailia and South Africa have vast numbers and they can be found in Israel, Egypt, Romania, Japan, Spain New Zealand and throughout Europe and Scandinvia. Because of the growth of the breed overseas and the formation of societies in many countries the World Hereford Council was set up in 1951 to deal with problems of mutual interest to pedigree hereford breeders every where