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welcome
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society /Welcome
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| The Limousin Restaurant Summer 2007 |
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| The Limousin Bar awaits members and guests July 2007 |
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| BLCS offices pictured during the Royal Show 2007 |
British Limousin is the largest numerical beef breed in the United Kingdom accounting for 35% of the 1.9 million cattle registered with the British Cattle Movement Service. Each year approximately 700,000 Limousin sired cattle are registered representing an annual industry value of around £400 million. In the ten years since BCMS was established, more than 6 million calves, sired by Limousin bulls, have been registered.
First imported into the United Kingdom from France in 1971, the Limousin breed has built its reputation on being ‘The Carcase Breed’, a breed able to produce quality beef with a low proportion of bone and fat. Its influence on British Beef production has been borne through its advantages in calving ease, growth, milk, fertility, feed efficiency, killing-out percentage and meat yield.
The Limousin breed enjoyed a momentous 2006. Some facts from the year included pedigree Limousin sales breaking through the £4.5 million barrier within which livestock history was made on Saturday 18th February at Borderway Mart, Carlisle when the Limousin bull Haltcliffe Vermount rewrote the cattle record books in selling for the sensational sum of 100,000gns (£105,000). The 21-month-old bull raced past the previous Limousin record mark of 55,000gns before smashing the magical six figure barrier. It was a landmark moment for the British pedigree livestock sector as the 100,000gns price set an all breeds World, European and British record at auction. Breeders of the new world record bull were Messrs Ridley in the shape of father and son Matt and Craig from Haltcliffe, Hesket New Market, Wigton, Cumbria. Haltcliffe Vermount was purchased for the pedigree herd of Procters Farm Ltd, Woodhouse Lane, Slaidburn, Clitheroe, Lancashire.
Championship titles were secured at all four principal “Royal” Shows, including the Blue Riband Burke Trophy and Nat West Team of Five at the 2006 Royal Show. In the commercial primestock arena, overall championship titles were gained at the National Primestock Show & Welsh Winter Fair.
The Limousin’s ability to produce ½ bred and ¾ bred carcasses with excellent conformation, a top killing out percentage and a top yield of saleable meat (73.3%) make it well suited to the market needs of a consistent, quality beef product. An early maturing breed, the Limousin provides young but mature beef in the medium weight range demanded both by butchers and supermarkets.
Limousin bulls are known for their fleshing qualities, lighter bone, fertility, and for the extra conformation they pass to all progeny, whatever the dam. Limousin suckler cows can be found on both upland and lowland systems. They are renowned for ease of calving and ease of management, vital factors in today’s farming economy. A good milking ability and excellent fertility is complemented by a natural hardiness and thriftiness.
As a spin off of the breed’s popularity, membership of the Society is now over 2,500 and a record number of pedigree calf registrations of 19,584 were received in 2006, easily outstripping the 18,026 achieved in 2005. In September 2005, the Society reached its landmark 250,000th pedigree registration – with the last 100,000 registrations in the last six years alone!
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