Breeding ObjectivePiemontesex HoFr gives a small calf which developes muscle quickly and is much sought after by beef farmers and as suckler dams.

The breeding objective is to produce an early maturing high quality Piemontese animal that is suitable for the European market. This is achieved through the genetic improvement of traits such as slaughtering age, live weight gain, feed conversion efficiency, dressing-out percentage, carcass characteristics, meat quality, calving ease and fertility. In addition, milk production is considered in the selection. Furthermore, breeding objectives are concerned with eliminating any genetic flaws.

Breeding Characteristic

A distinct characteristic of the Piemontese cattle breed is muscular hypertrophy, better known as the ‘double muscle factor’ caused by a natural mutation which causes a considerable increase in muscular mass and consequently in dressing out percentage, due to an increase of the muscular fibres. Furthermore, it causes a decrease of the quantity of inter-muscular fat and of connective tissue, giving major tenderness to the meat.

The double muscle factor appeared at the beginning of last century and has spread progressively over the breed. Currently, nearly all animals in the herdbook possess this characteristic and a very high percentage of the breed as a whole possesses this characteristic.

The bulls have a grey or pale fawn coat, with black hairs on the head (especially around the eye sockets), on the neck, the shoulders, the distal regions of the limbs and sometimes on the lateral faces of the body and the hind limbs.

The cows have a white or pale fawn coat with shades of grey or pale fawn. At birth the coat of the calves is of a deep pale fawn colour. The tongue, the palate and the external mucosae are black.

The cows are of a medium size (550 – 600 kg). At birth the calves weigh on average from 40 to 45 kg. The male fattening calves are ready for slaughtering at a weight of 550-650 kg when they are about 15 -18 month old. The female calves are ready for slaughtering at a weight of approximately 350-450 kg when they are about 14-16 months old.

Cross Breeding

See Bulls catalogue for details of bulls and straws. Stock bulls can be sourced from members of the society – contact administrator for details. Stock bulls can also be bought on buying trips to Italy – contact secretary for details of next buying trip.

Advice on Cross Breeding: The Piemontese breed is an ideal cross for any continental bred suckler cow. The best market at present for the Piemontese cross weanlings is the Italian live trade. It is the most lucrative market in the world but quality is essential and it is advised to breed from pure or at least half bred quality continental suckler cows.

Piemontese x HoFr gives a small calf which developes muscle quickly and is much sought after by beef farmers and as suckler dams and for the Ho/Fr cow.  The calves are born small and begin to express the double muscling from about 6 weeks