About Limousin
History
The Limousin breed can trace its history back at least 16,000 years, when images of its ancestors were painted on the walls of caves near the village of Montignac in central France.
In the adjacent Limousin region, cattle adapted naturally to its harsh landscape and highly variable climate. A few centuries ago, when the cattle were used increasingly for draught, selection pressures replaced natural evolution resulting in the breed we now call Limousins becoming large-framed and muscular animals.
The first Limousin herd book was established in France in 1886, and significant exports of Limousins from France did not occur until the 1960s. The first Limousins arrived in Australia in 1975 and they can now be found in 70 countries on all continents.
In their original form, which is still maintained as the breed standard in France, Limousins are horned and have a rich gold coat with lighter colouring around the muzzle, eyes, legs, underside and hind quarters. Over the past two decades, polled and black Limousins have been bred.
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Limousin performance
Limousins are intermediate in size and maturity between British breeds and most other European breeds. They are renowned for their longevity, hardiness, low maintenance costs, easy calving, good milking qualities, fast growth, and are prolific and efficient producers of healthy, lean, tender meat.
Some of the most comprehensive research comparing cattle types was published recently, which puts figures on what Limousin breeders have known for decades. In one long-term trial (1.7Mb PDF file) involving nine cattle breeds, Limousins were found to twice as efficient at converting feed into retail meat from weaning to slaughter as Angus and Hereford (refer to Tables 10 and 11).
Other trials (e.g. US Germplasm trials, 391kB PDF file) indicate that Limousin meat tenderness, flavour and juiciness are similar to Angus and Hereford meat.
Limousin muscling gene
The Myostatin gene, or more accurately the protein it controls the production of, suppresses muscle growth. The Myostatin gene exists in all animals, and like all genes occurs in pairs, each one contributed by either parent. The regulatory effect of Myostatin on muscle development is generally diminished when a variant (mutation) occurs in the active element of one or both genes. This leads to increased muscling and reduced fat deposition.
Variants of the gene have been identified in several animal species, with at least eleven found in cattle. Only seven of the cattle variants contribute to increased muscle development. The most extreme cattle variant occurs in the Belgian Blue breed, which is characterised by high muscle and low fat content, less bone, and, less advantageously, poor fertility and greater calving difficulties.
In 1998, a considerably less extreme variant of the Myostatin gene known scientifically as F94L, or colloquially as the "Limousin muscling gene", was identified as the most likely cause of Limousin's unique muscling and meat tenderness. Limousin carcases are consistently more than 60% of liveweight, and retail meat yield on the carcase frequently exceeds 70%. Furthermore, the F94L gene is not associated with the reduced fertility and calving difficulties of Belgian Blue and similarly double-muscled breeds.
Recently, researchers at the University of Adelaide, in collaboration with other Australian and New Zealand researchers, quantified the effect of the F94L gene. They found that the F94L variant had negligible or no occurrence in other cattle breeds. In a cross- and back-cross breeding program they found that cattle with two copies of the F94L gene had higher weight of prime cuts by 14 - 19%, higher overall meat yield by 6 - 8%, and meat tenderness was improved by 6 - 11%, when compared with cattle without the gene. Other benefits included reduced feed intake and reduced fat content.
If both parent's each have two F94L genes, then progeny will always have two F94L genes. However, if one parent has only one F94L gene, then 50% of progeny will have two F94L genes, and the remaining 50% of progeny will have just one F94L gene. This is because parents with just one copy of the gene have a one-in-two chance of passing on either the F94L gene or the normal gene to their progeny.
Because the F94L gene appears to be mildly recessive, cattle with just one copy, which includes first-cross progeny of Limousin and British breed parents, will have slightly less than half the above benefits. Heterosis (hybrid vigour) though will offset some of this loss.
Genetic testing is the only reliable method of determining the status of the gene in progeny derived from non-Limousin parents. The Australian Limousin Breeders Society and some other international Limousin breeder groups now encourage stud breeders to have their key stud animals tested for the gene. Results of these tests are published on Australian and US Limousin breeder websites.
Other genes in combination also contribute to muscle, fat and bone development in all cattle. While these contributions are still being investigated in Australian and international studies, breeders and producers wishing to exploit Limousin's unique muscling and tenderness qualities are now already in a far better position to do so in an effective and reliable manner.
Growing popularity
Cross-breeding with British breed cattle exploits Limousin's muscling, tenderness, efficiency and health benefits, maximises hybrid vigour, and also enables producers to target markets that require higher levels of fat. Producers and processors benefit from the higher yield and lower trim wastage associated with Limousin and Limousin-cross meat, and consumers benefit from its healthier qualities.
Limousin and Limousin-cross meat world-wide not only attracts premiums for cattle producers and processors, it is also sought after by restaurants and other consumers because of its good eating experience and healthy qualities
Limousins have been growing rapidly in popularity as a terminal sire in many countries. In the UK, home of all British breeds, 34% of all terminal sires are Limousins, a figure that eclipses the combined totals of the next two most popular sires, Charolais and Angus. Limousins have held this top UK sire position for the past 12 years.
In Australia, Limousin and Limousin-cross steers have been beating most of the competition in recent years, chalking up impressive all-breed wins and places in major on the hoof and carcase competitions around the country.
Find out more about the Limousin Revolution by contacting any of our Committee members. Contact details are on the Committee webpage.