International Limousin Congress 2020
ILC Headed Home
The 2020 International Limousin Congress (ILC) is headed back to the breed’s Homeland—France. The country has held the Congress four times in the past, including the inaugural event in 1973. The fifth installment is scheduled for September 17-27, 2020.
The ILC is the world parent organization for Limousin Associations across the globe. There are presently 26 affiliated countries, representative of the five continents. Every two years an ILC is held in a nominated country.
The Congress presents a chance to see Limousin cattle in different countries and how they fit into the respective geography, system and markets. It is also the perfect vehicle to exchange breed views, research, marketing and technical information.
The 2018 ILC wrapped up last week after a 10-day event in Colorado, hosted by the North American Limousin Foundation.
According to the French Limousin Association…
The Limousin breed was forged by its home region, a predominantly pastureland area of France where winter conditions can prove tough. It is one of the oldest French breeds to be selected for beefing abilities without crossing-in foreign blood.
Decades of dedicated selection efforts have now culminated in a breed that is ideally suited to meat production.
A standout feature of the Limousin breed is its ability to produce animals that consistently hit the same level of quality, regardless of age at slaughter: baby veal calves, calves weaned for fattening, young bull, heifers or cull cows—all equally prized by butchers and consumers alike.
The success of these products hinges largely on the breed’s excellent carcass yield, as its thin hide and unusually slim skeletal convert into a remarkable saleable meat yield.
Limousine meat gains added value through three official quality label: “Bœuf Limousin”, “Limousin free-range veal”, and “Limousin Junior” (all three under prestige-edition Label Rouge).
In addition to these outstanding carcass merit traits, the Limousine also boasts excellent maternal qualities (ease of calving, dam fertility and longevity and adaptability to different farming systems).
This perfect trade-off between farming qualities and market profitability has enabled the Limousin breed to extend its popularity throughout France, and to export into more than 80 countries worldwide, where it is used purebred or else crossbred with local breeds to add improved meat yields.
Key French Limousin Figures
• 1,077,489 cows
• 26,786 farms
• 252,369 cows under on-farm official performance recording system
• 72,972 cows recorded in the Herd Book
• 304,896 artificial inseminations