The Italian specialised beef fattening system depends mainly on the importation of young bulls and heifers from France, with Charolais (CHL) and Limousin (LIM) being the predominant breeds. Exploring the performance of such breeds is crucial to optimize meat yield and quality, and economic returns. The present study aimed to investigate the performance of young bulls and heifers imported from France and reared for the finishing phase in fattening units of the Veneto region, north-eastern Italy. The dataset consisted of 42,018 young bulls and heifers slaughtered between October 2021 and December 2024, namely 28,245 CHL (14,297 males and 13,948 females) and 13,773 LIM (6,577 males and 7,196 females). Live weight (kg), carcass weight (kg), and carcass yield (%) were analyzed through a mixed linear model that included the fixed effects of sex, breed, season of arrival, and the interactions between sex and breed, and breed and season of arrival. Slaughter batch and slaughter date were included as random factors. The season of arrival affected live weight and carcass weight (P < 0.05) but not carcass yield. CHL young bulls had higher live weight (733.50 ± 1.16 kg) and carcass weight (451.20 ± 0.71 kg) than LIM young bulls (617.50 ± 1.49 kg and 392.70 ± 0.92 kg, respectively). The same trend was observed for the heifers, while LIM animals performed better in terms of carcass yield. No significant differences in live weight and carcass weight were observed across seasons of arrival for LIM. In contrast, CHL animals had the highest live weight and carcass weight in winter (653.60 ± 1.68 kg and 392.70 ± 1.04 kg, respectively) and spring (654.40 ± 1.55 kg and 393.10 ± 0.95 kg, respectively). The results provide insights into the factors influencing the performance of beef cattle imported from France in the Italian context, and put the basis for future research on sustainable farming, resource utilization, meat quality, and animal health and performance.
Investigating the performance of Charolais and Limousin young bulls and heifers in north-eastern Italian fattening units
Sabbadin S.;Penasa M.;Goi A.;De Marchi M.
2025
Abstract
The Italian specialised beef fattening system depends mainly on the importation of young bulls and heifers from France, with Charolais (CHL) and Limousin (LIM) being the predominant breeds. Exploring the performance of such breeds is crucial to optimize meat yield and quality, and economic returns. The present study aimed to investigate the performance of young bulls and heifers imported from France and reared for the finishing phase in fattening units of the Veneto region, north-eastern Italy. The dataset consisted of 42,018 young bulls and heifers slaughtered between October 2021 and December 2024, namely 28,245 CHL (14,297 males and 13,948 females) and 13,773 LIM (6,577 males and 7,196 females). Live weight (kg), carcass weight (kg), and carcass yield (%) were analyzed through a mixed linear model that included the fixed effects of sex, breed, season of arrival, and the interactions between sex and breed, and breed and season of arrival. Slaughter batch and slaughter date were included as random factors. The season of arrival affected live weight and carcass weight (P < 0.05) but not carcass yield. CHL young bulls had higher live weight (733.50 ± 1.16 kg) and carcass weight (451.20 ± 0.71 kg) than LIM young bulls (617.50 ± 1.49 kg and 392.70 ± 0.92 kg, respectively). The same trend was observed for the heifers, while LIM animals performed better in terms of carcass yield. No significant differences in live weight and carcass weight were observed across seasons of arrival for LIM. In contrast, CHL animals had the highest live weight and carcass weight in winter (653.60 ± 1.68 kg and 392.70 ± 1.04 kg, respectively) and spring (654.40 ± 1.55 kg and 393.10 ± 0.95 kg, respectively). The results provide insights into the factors influencing the performance of beef cattle imported from France in the Italian context, and put the basis for future research on sustainable farming, resource utilization, meat quality, and animal health and performance.
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