Beef Cattle Breeds in Finland

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Aberdeen Angus (Ab)

Origin: Counties of Aberdeenshire and Angus, Scotland

Average live weight: cows 600–800 kg, bulls 1000–1250 kg

Originally Scottish, the modern Aberdeen Angus has been developed in North America. Nowadays the breed is larger and has leaner meat than its ancestors. The breed is naturally polled and usually black. Red colour is a recessive trait that often appears in crossbred Angus cattle. The breed is known for its good mothering ability. Angus cattle fare well in pasture and don’t require intensive feeding. The Angus meat is known for its good quality.

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Blonde d`Aquitaine (Ba)

Origin: Aquitaine, France

Average live weight: cows 700–900 kg, bulls 1200–1400 kg

Blonde d’Aquitaine was developed in the 1960s from three other breeds. The breed is usually fawn in colour. The Blondes in Finland are horned, but there are also polled variants in the breed. The animals are large and have a good meat yield. The breed fares well in intensive feeding systems, but the animals develop slowly. Heifers usually calve for the first time at the age of three years, and the calving intervals are long. Blondes usually have easy calvings.

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Charolais (Ch)

Origin: County of Charolais, France

Average live weight: cows 700–950 kg, bulls 1200–1400 kg

Charolais is a large breed with an almost pure white coat. There are both polled and horned lines in the breed. Charolais has good growth and carcass traits. Fast growth and good meat yield are also passed on to crossbred charolais. The breed is not prone to fatten easily, so bulls can be fed intensively and to heavy slaughter weights.

 

 

 

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Hereford (Hf)

Origin: Herefordshire, England

Average live weight: cows 600–850 kg, bulls 1000–1300 kg

 

Typically Herefords are red-brown with a white head and chest. There are both polled and horned variants of the breed. Originally smaller, nowadays the breed is of the North American larger, long-legged type. Hereford is a hardy breed with good mothering abilities. Hereford cattle fare well on natural pastures.

 

 

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Highland Cattle (Hc)

Origin: Highlands and the Western Isles, Scotland

Average live weight: cows noin 500 kg, bulls 800–900 kg

Highland Cattle are known for their long horns and long, thick coat. The animals are usually golden brown, but there are colour variants from nearly white to black. Most of the Highland Cattle in Finland are purebred. Highland Cattle has a good grazing ability and the cows are known for their longevity and good mothering abilities. Highland Cattle can thrive in harsh climates and the breed fares very well on natural pastures.

 

 

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Limousin (Li)

Origin: County of Limoges, France

Average live weight: cows 650–850 kg, bulls 1100–1300 kg

Brown or golden-red coloured Limousin is an average sized breed of beef cattle. In Finland there are more horned Limousin animals than the polled variants. The breed is known for its feed efficiency and lean meat. One of Limousin cattle’s best qualities is its carcass quality: they have an excellent meat yield and get good carcass classifications. 

 

 

 

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Simmental (Si)

Origin: Valley of Simme-river, Switzerland

Average live weight: cows 700–950 kg, bulls 1200–1400 kg

Simmental has been divided into two types, the beef type and the dairy type. The Simmentals in Finland are of the beef type. The breed is two-coloured with different shades of brown or red and white. There are both horned and polled variants of the breed. Simmental is best suited for intensive feeding, but the breed fares well on pasture as well. Simmental calves grow rapidly due to their mothers’ good milk production ability.

 

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Piemontese (Pi)

Origin: Piemonte, Italy

Average live weight: cows n. 650 kg, bulls n. 1000 kg

Piemontese is usually classified as beef cattle but in its home country Italy the breed is also used as dairy cattle. Piemontese is recognizable by its distinct grey colour and double muscling. Piemontese calves develop double muscling a few weeks after birth, so the breed does not suffer from calving difficulties to the same extent as other double muscled breeds. There aren’t many purebred Piemontese cows in Finland, but there are already dozens of crossbred animals. Piedmontese bulls have a good meat yield, they grow fast and benefit from intensive feeding.

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Dexter (De)

Origin: Southwest counties of Ireland

Average weight: cows n. 350 kg, bulls 500–600 kg

Dexter is a small breed of beef cattle. The first Dexters came to Finland only recently, and the breed is still rare in the country. Dexter is a horned breed and their coat is red, brown or black. Dexter is a good grazer and well-suited for natural pastures. Dexter cattle develop fast despite their small size, and the heifers usually calve for the first time at the age of 25 months. Dexter cows have good mothering abilities.

 

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Galloway (Ga)

Origin: Galloway, Scotland

Average live weight: cows 400–600 kg, bulls 800–1000 kg

Galloways are usually black, grey or brown. There is also a two-coloured “belted” variant of the breed that has a white belt. In Finland the breed is rare, semen has been brought into the country and there are a few crossbred animals. Galloways are naturally polled. The breed fares well on pastures and harsh climates, because it has a thick coat and a woolly undercoat.

 

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Texas Longhorn (Lh)

Texas Longhorn is known for its long horns which can extend to almost two metres from tip to tip. The breed is a descendant of the cattle breeds left behind on the North American continent by the Spanish and English settlers. The breed is said to have a gentle disposition and easy calvings. The breed is said to have lean meat. The breed was saved from extinction in the 1920s, and the longhorn cattle were bred particularly in Texas. Originally known only as the Longhorn, the breed became known as Texas Longhorn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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