Asturian Valley cattle are native to northern Spain and are thought to have been bred and raised in the valleys of Asturias, Spain. By the 19th century, they were the most abundant breed in northern Spain. At the beginning of the 20th century, a massive invasion of foreign breeds dangerously lowered the numbers of Asturian Valley to about 22,000 head. During the 1980s, the (ASEAVA, 'Spanish Association of breeders of selected cattle of the Asturian Valley breed', founded in 1981) and the Spanish government initiated motions to protect the breed. Now the breed is once again prominent in northern areas and spreading to other parts of Spain.
