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the society |
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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 34% of the 1.9 million cattle registered with the British Cattle Movement Service. Each year over 640,000 Limousin sired cattle are registered representing an annual industry value of around £400 million. In the twelve years since BCMS was established, more than 7 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 2008. Some facts from the past year included pedigree Limousin sales over £5 million with the year’s top prices being the 50,000gns paid for Limousin bull, Wilodge Cerberus, from DA Williams and the 41,000gns for Mr D & Mrs M Cormack's cow, Newstart Upsydaisy.
A string of Championship titles - an incredible 10 Interbreeds in all - were secured at the four principal “Royal” Shows in 2008, including a Grand Slam of team championships at the Royal Ulster, Royal Highland & Royal Welsh! The Blue Riband Burke Trophy was won for the fourth year in a row at the Royal Show, thought to be a record in the modern era, with the Individual Interbreed and Team of Five also headed by the Limousin Breed. In the 2008 commercial primestock arena, overall championships were gained at Royal Smithfield and the Welsh Winter Fair alongside a string of Steer and Heifer, Baby Beef and Festival of Ribs Championships at the Scottish and English Winter Fairs.
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 a record 2,595 and the 18,000 mark
of pedigree calf registrations was reached for the third consecutive
time in 2008 when hitting 18,240. In September 2005, the Society reached
its landmark 250,000th pedigree registration – with the last
100,000 registrations coming in just six years alone!
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