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The Irish Charolais Cattle Breed Society

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Sponsored By

• Ease of Calving - High Fertility

• Good Beef Qualities - Easily Maintained

• Docile Disposition - Eligible For Suckler Premium - Attractive White Cattle

INTRODUCTION

The Charolais originated in central France in the old French provinces of Charolais and neighbouring Nievre. Legend has it that white cattle were first noticed as early as AD.878 and by the sixteenth century were highly respected in French markets, especially at Lyon and Ville France.

Claude Mathieu a farmer and cattle Breeder, moved from Charolais in 1773 and took his herd with him into neighbouring province of Nievre, where they achieved a fond reputation as Nivernais cattle. In 1840 Count Charles de Bouille established a herd of cattle, and with other Breeders set about improving their herds prior to establish a Nivernais Herd Book in 1864 for Breeders in Nievre. Subsequently a Charolais Herd Book was introduced for Breeders in Charolais and the neighbouring Saone-et-Loire. These two herd Books merged in 1919 into a single Charolais Herd Book which became the corner of the Breed's selection and development programme.

The Breed continued to expand and spread throughout France. During the long period of its development it was considered a multipurpose breed, being used not only for meat and milk production but also for draught purposes. With the mechanisation of farm work in the 1920's the need to produce animals for farm work ceased and breeders were able to concentrate on producing animals for meat production. The Breed standard was modified to emphasise physical conformation and the thickness of muscular tissues, thereby achieving large carcass weights with maximum meat content and little fat or other waste.


QUALITY

Independent research carried out within the Agricultural Institute at Grange has confirmed that Charolais are superior to all other Beef Breeds. These Trials compared the performances of the various Beef Breeds. These trials compared of the various Beef Breeds on Freisan cows with Pure Bred Freisans. The Performance of the Freisans was given an arbitrary score of 100 for each characteristic measured and the superiority or inferiority of other Breeds was measured.

These findings confirm the widely recognised ability of the Charolais Bull to transmit his Breeding characteristics to his progeny. Furthermore, it conclusively illustrates the financial imventives for using a Charolais Bull since the gross value of the progeny was 17% greater than Freisans and 19% superior to Herefords.

Dairy Farmers can be assured that with careful selection of Bulls and enlightened management of cows prior to calving that calving difficulties are no more serious with Charolais than with any other continental Breed. However, farmers are not advised to use a Charolais on heifers or on cows with a history of difficult calving.

More successful Farmers are now reaping the benefits of using a Charolais Bull on cows not being used to breed Dairy replacements. Advice and guidance are freely available from the secretary of the society.


BREEDING

The First step in establishing a herd is the choice of Females. The Breeder should decide to buy the best stock available and to take time in establishing a herd. The new Breeder should either acquire a knowledge of the characteristics of Charolais before starting a herd or, alternatively, obtain assistance from as established cattleman or from the Secretary of the Society, Who os always available to assist potential purchasers.

The age to buy foundation females is always controversial. Some people prefer maiden heifers, others want in-calf heifers mated to an easy-calving Bull., whilst others like to buy a cow with a calf at foot and in-calf again. The in-calf heifer or cow with calf at foot have the distinct merit that they generate income more rapidly. While the new Breeder should decide which characteristics are most desirable in his stock, size, muscling and structural soundness are the essential qualities which must never be overlooked.

The selection of a stock Bull requires considerable care. The females in the herd should be carefully studied, their faults noted, the points in need of improvement listed and all those points borne in mind whilst the choice of Bull is being made. While a young bull is normally selected initially on visual appearance, it is most desirable that this be supported by officially recorded performance data and that the animal is clearly superior to his contemporaries. Finally, it is wise to inspect his Sire & Dam if this be at all possible. A great deal of time and expense can be saved by right choice of Bull and nothing should be spared in trying to find him. Prospective purchasers are advised to seek the help of the Charolais Society with their purchases.


FIRST IMPORTED

Charolais were the first of the continental Beef Breeds to be introduced into Ireland. The department of Agriculture imported the first consignment of eight Bulls and ten Heifers in 1964. So successful was this initial importation that an off-shore quarantine station was developed, on Spike Island, to facilitate bigger importation's, whilst at the same time protecting the much-valued health status of Irish Livestock. This development was followed by a second importation of four Bulls and forty-two Heifers, most of which were acquired by a select group of private Breeders. Eleven further importation's of the best French blood lines took place over the following twenty years to provide a broad genetic base for Irish Charolais.

The Irish Charolais Cattle Society

The Irish Charolais Cattle society was established in the form of a co-operative society in 1965 and the Irish Charolais Herd Book was subsequently set up to maintain a register of imported stock and progeny derived there from. Animals registered in the Irish Herd Book are eligible for transfer directly into other National Herd Books, and to date stock has been exported to Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Sweden, U.S.A, Canada and New Zealand.

The Council is elected by the members of the society at its Annual General Meeting. The Council then elects its President and other Officers. The Council's responsibilities include:

- Maintenance of the integrity of the Herd Book

- Breed Promotion

- Organisation of official shows and sales.

- Liaison with show committees


INSPECTIONS

In modern systems of conformation scoring the key aspects of conformation are described by trained inspectors visually on linear scales (e.g. 1 to 10) to describe the shape and other points of the animal. The scores can then be easily handled by the computer and subsequently analysed and presented to Breeders to show the animal's strengths or weaknesses. They can then be used for selective and corrective matings. Individual animal scores will contribute to Sire summaries.

The scores are grouped into three main categories - Skeletal, Muscular Development and Functional Capacity (i.e a measure of the correctness of the animal) together with a condition mark for the animal at the time of scoring. Linear scoring is not an evaluation as to the quality of the animal, it is objective and methodical observation of clearly defined aspects of the animal at a given age.

After thirty years of experience the French state that "Compared" to other techniques for measuring or assessing animals which might appear more objective, points assessment based on observation of morphology works out more reliable and less expensive. In relation to skeletal development, for example, measurements are difficult to carry out and hard to interpret in the case of growing animals. As for the "Ultra Sound" method of measuring size of certain muscles, this is too cumbersome a method to be routinely used on the farm. With points assessment also being the fastest method, it can be carried out in the field without manipulation or contention.

BENEFITS

* Coloured Marked progeny which leads to easy identification.
* Docility and ease of handling.
* Hardy, adaptable and prolific stock.
* Premium prices at all stages of growth.
* Fast Growth rate and efficient feed conversion.
* High carcass yields and a high percentage of quality cuts.
* Ideal Beef for the high priced European markets.

Post:
Irish Charolais Cattle Breeding Society
Irish Farm Centre
Bluebell
Dublin 12

Email:
charola@iol.ie

Web:
http://www.charolais.ie

Tel: 01 4198050

Fax: 01 4080640