Charolais cattle

Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Expand French Template:Infobox cattle breed The Charolais (Template:IPA) or Charolaise (Template:IPA) is a French breed of taurine beef cattle. It originates in, and is named for, the Charolais area surrounding Charolles, in the Saône-et-Loire department, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France. It is known for its colours, which can vary from white to grain coloured.

The Charolais is raised for meat. It has been used in the development of a number of taurindicine breeds such as the Brazilian Canchim, and may be used for cross-breeding with other breeds, among them the Aberdeen Angus and Hereford.

History

The Charolais is a traditional breed of the Charolais area surrounding Charolles, in the département of Saône-et-Loire in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France – for which it is named. Its range also extended into the Nivernais to the north-west.Template:R

The Charolais is the second-most numerous cattle breed in France after the Prim'Holstein, and is the most common beef breed in that country, ahead of the Limousin. At the end of 2014, France had Template:Val head of Charolais, including Template:Val cows, down 0.6% from a year earlier.Template:R

It is a world breed, reported to DAD-IS by 68 countries, of which 37 report population data. The world population is estimated at Template:Val. The largest populations are reported from the Czech Republic and Mexico.Template:R The breed was introduced to the southern United States from Mexico in 1934.Template:R

In 2011, Charolais-Brionnais Country applied to UNESCO to be labeled as a World Heritage Site, citing among other things a "cultural landscape" for raising cattle.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The application was not successful.

Characteristics

Charolais are among the heaviest of cattle breeds: bulls weigh from Template:Cvt, and cows from Template:Cvt. The coat ranges from white to cream-coloured; the nose is uniformly pink.Template:R

The Charbray, a cross-breed with Brahman cattle, is recognised as a breed in some countries.Template:R The Brazilian Canchim is a composite breed with 5/8 Charolais and 3/8 Indu-Brasil.Template:R Other derived breeds include Charford and Char-Swiss in the United States.Template:R