View source for Charolais cattle

{{Short description|French beef cattle breed}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Expand French|Charolaise|date=May 2015|fa=yes}}
{{Infobox cattle breed
| name          = Charolais
| image         = Vache_de_race_charolaise_avec_son_veau.jpg
| image_size    =
| image_alt     = 
| image_caption = Cow and calf
| status        = [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]] (2007): not at risk{{r|barb|page=144}}
| altname       = {{Langx|fr|Charolaise|italic=no}}
| country       = France
| distribution  = Worldwide
| standard      = 
| use           = Beef
| nickname      = 
| maleweight    = 1000–1650 kg{{r|cabi|page=153}}
| femaleweight  = 700–1200 kg{{r|cabi|page=153}}
| height        = 135–150 cm{{r|cabi|page=153}}
| maleheight    = 
| femaleheight  = 
| skincolour    = 
| coat          = white or cream-coloured
| horn          = horned in both sexes{{r|dad4}}
| subspecies    = taurus
| note          = 
}}
The '''Charolais''' ({{IPA|fr|ʃaʁɔlɛ|lang}}) or '''Charolaise''' ({{IPA|fr|ʃaʁɔlɛz|}}) is a French [[List of cattle breeds|breed]] of [[taurine cattle|taurine]] [[beef cattle]]. It originates in, and is named for, the [[Charolais (county)|Charolais]] area surrounding [[Charolles]], in the [[Saône-et-Loire]] [[Departments of France|department]], in the [[Bourgogne-Franche-Comté]] [[Regions of France|region]] of eastern France.  It is known for its colours, which can vary from white to [[Wheat (color)|grain coloured]].

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

== History ==

The Charolais is a traditional breed of the [[Charolais (county)|Charolais]] area surrounding [[Charolles]], in the [[département]] of [[Saône-et-Loire]] in the [[Bourgogne-Franche-Comté]] [[Regions of France|region]] of eastern France – for which it is named. Its range also extended into the [[Nivernais]] to the north-west.{{r|briggs|p=164}}

The Charolais is the second-most numerous cattle breed in France after the [[Holstein Friesian|Prim'Holstein]], and is the most common beef breed in that country, ahead of the [[Limousin cattle|Limousin]]. At the end of 2014, France had {{val|4.22|u=million}} head of Charolais, including {{val|1.56|u=million}} cows, down 0.6% from a year earlier.{{r|agreste}}

It is a world breed, reported to [[DAD-IS]] by 68 countries, of which 37 report population data. The world population is estimated at {{val|730,000}}. The largest populations are reported from the [[Czech Republic]] and Mexico.{{r|dad}} The breed was introduced to the southern United States from Mexico in 1934.{{r|aica}}

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>{{Cite web |url=http://www.charolais-brionnais.fr/le-patrimoine-mondial.html |title=Notre candidature - Pays Charolais-brionnais |access-date=23 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215224851/http://www.charolais-brionnais.fr/le-patrimoine-mondial.html |archive-date=15 December 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.maison-charolais.com/en/index.html |title=Histoire du Charolais - La Maison du Charolais |website=www.maison-charolais.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131125230633/http://www.maison-charolais.com/en/index.html |archive-date=2013-11-25}}</ref>  The application was not successful.

== Characteristics ==

Charolais are among the heaviest of cattle breeds: bulls weigh from {{cvt|1000|to|1650|kg|lb|-2|comma=off}}, and cows from {{cvt|700|to|1200|kg|lb|-2|comma=off}}. The coat ranges from white to cream-coloured; the nose is uniformly pink.{{r|cabi|page=153}}

The [[Charbray cattle|Charbray]], a cross-breed with [[Brahman (cattle)|Brahman]] cattle, is recognised as a breed in some countries.{{r|dad2}} The Brazilian [[Canchim]] is a composite breed with 5/8 Charolais and 3/8 [[Indu-Brasil]].{{r|dad3}} Other derived breeds include Charford and Char-Swiss in the United States.{{r|cabi|page=153}}

<gallery heights=200 widths=240 >
Taureau charolais - Salon de l'Agriculture de Paris 2010.jpg|Bull at the [[Salon international de l'agriculture]] in 2011
Taureau Charolais (Château-Chinon, Morvan).jpg|Bull in the [[Morvan]]
Charolais cattle, Sierra Nevada, Venezuela.jpg|[[Feral]] bull in [[Sierra Nevada de Mérida]], Venezuela
Bourgogne-charolais-cattle.jpg|Cows at pasture in [[Burgundy]]
File:Embryo transfered calves (cropped).JPG|Embryo-transferred calves with their [[Aberdeen Angus]] and [[Hereford cattle|Hereford]] recipient dams
File:Charolais cattle in a field in Magog, Quebec.jpg|Cow in a field in [[Quebec]]
File:Est-Ouest, le goût & les couleurs.jpg|In a quiet area, [[Burgundy]]
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Charolais horse]]
* [[Fin gras du Mézenc]]

== References ==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name=agreste>[s.n.] (April 2015). [https://web.archive.org/web/20151210034332/https://agreste.agriculture.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/conjinforap201504bvfr.pdf Infos rapides Bovins: Hausse du cheptel bovin français en 2014] (in French). ''Agreste: la statistique agricole''. Ministère de l'Agriculture, de l’Agroalimentaire et de la Forêt: Secrétariat Général. Archived 10 December 2015.</ref>

<ref name=aica>[http://www.charolaisusa.com/history.html The Charolais heritage ... a brief history] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419020819/http://www.charolaisusa.com/history.html |date=19 April 2014 }}. American-International Charolais Association. Accessed May 2015.</ref>

<ref name=barb>Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20200623201209/http://www.fao.org/3/a1250e/annexes/List%20of%20breeds%20documented%20in%20the%20Global%20Databank%20for%20Animal%20Genetic%20Resources/List_breeds.pdf List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources], annex to: [https://web.archive.org/web/20170110125634/http://www.fao.org/3/a-a1250e.pdf ''The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture'']. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. {{isbn|9789251057629}}. Archived 23 June 2020.</ref>

<ref name=briggs>Hilton Marshall Briggs, Dinus M Briggs (1980). [https://archive.org/details/modernbreedsofli0000brig ''Modern Breeds of Livestock''], fourth edition. New York: Macmillan. {{isbn|9780023147302}}.</ref>

<ref name=cabi>Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). [https://books.google.it/books?id=2UEJDAAAQBAJ&hl=en ''Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding''] (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. {{isbn|9781780647944}}.</ref>

<ref name=dad>[http://dad.fao.org/cgi-bin/EfabisWeb.cgi?sid=0b9877c00bb2c23e9ddce9ce38b91211,reportsreport16_50000097 Transboundary breed: Charolais]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed May 2015.</ref>

<ref name=dad2>[http://dad.fao.org/cgi-bin/EfabisWeb.cgi?sid=0b9877c00bb2c23e9ddce9ce38b91211,reportsreport16_50000096 Transboundary breed: Charbray]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed May 2015.</ref>

<ref name=dad3>[http://www.fao.org/dad-is/browse-by-country-and-species/en/ Breed data sheet: Canchim / Brazil (Cattle)]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed September 2019.</ref>

<ref name=dad4>[http://www.fao.org/dad-is/browse-by-country-and-species/en/  Charolaise / France (Cattle)]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed April 2020.</ref>

}}

{{Cattle breeds of France|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charolais Cattle}}
[[Category:Cattle breeds originating in France]]
[[Category:Charolais, France]]
[[Category:National symbols of Andorra]]