In the spread of temperate agriculture throughout the world, British animal breeds have been prominent. The Hereford, Aberdeen Angus, Shorthorn and (to a lesser extent) Galloway type cattle were among the early colonists, and the Jersey cow was the basis of the early dairying in New Zealand. Similarly, among the sheep breeds the Southdown and the Kent or Romney Marsh have become prominent in the Antipodes, and the very important Corriedale is an inbred product of crosses between English longwool breeds and the Merino. The meat-packing industry of South America, introduced by British entrepreneurs, was at first heavily dependent on importations of British beef breeds as sires. But lest this appear a narrow nationalist point of view, mention should be made of the Brown Swiss and the Friesian, which had such an important role in world dairying; the various Indian breeds such as the Sahiwal and the Zebu crosses, which were of importance in warmer climates; and the Longhorn of Spanish (not British) origin, which pioneered in the U.S.A. At the beginning of our fifty-year period, British farmers had a deservedly high reputation as stockbreeders and that part of the industry brought considerable financial reward. This reputation continued and in 1986 the value of exports of live cattle for breeding was still £7 million, a sum augmented by a further £5 million for the export of semen. Their very success, however, had brought with it a conservatism and lack of adaptability which, as we shall see, led to changes in breed structure with the importation of genes and breeds.