NZ charolais rank with best – breeder
New Zealand charolais have risen to a level to match the top cattle of the breed in the world.
Charolais breeder Bruce Fisher has returned from the World Charolais Congress in Britain and said none of the cattle he saw bettered New Zealand’s top charolais.
‘‘It gave us a good look at what is going on in the cattle business in Europe and I believe we are right up there with our top charolais. They are as good as they are around the world.’’
Mr Fisher breeds charolais at the Silverstream Charolais stud at Greenpark and Motukarara with son Brent and has seen the breed make good progress.
He said the functional breed has been developed to suit New Zealand’s different farmland.
‘‘We have adapted the Frenchbased breed and 20 years ago they weren’t suited for New Zealand conditions, but I believe we have developed them into good, easy-care and easy-calving cattle with good muscling.’’
Mr Fisher said the charolais were designed to be crossed with angus, hereford and other traditional breeds.
‘‘This progeny gives the farmer a 20 per cent return when they go on the hooks, because they can put on the extra weight.
‘‘There is no place for big purebred cattle roaming the hills and we don’t need them, as the guts of the beef industry is to wean a big calf off a small cow.’’
Mr Fisher said European charolais appeared to have made little progress compared with the lean, high-producing types being bred in New Zealand.
‘‘It’s different in England and these other countries because they feed the hell out of them.
‘‘They absolutely feed, feed and feed and we don’t need that cattle when you take the feed away from them.’’
He said the visit to the three-week conference attended by 250 people and including tours to farms in England, Scotland and Ireland had been worthwhile.
A measure of the progress being made is that breeders here are sending purebred semen to Canada and Australia and plan to extend this to Britain.