Menoturals; Cattle Crew

Joining in with the LLB gang for Nature Friday, with the second in my miniseries on cattle breeds shown at Westmoreland.

You may recall in the Art Vibe series, there was a painting with an oversized bull depicted. That was boastful... but there is a breed from France that comes close to being exactly what that image displayed. Meet the Limousin (limb-ooh-sun)...

It is thought that this breed has some of the closest resemblance to the Aurochs that once roamed Europe and are depicted on many cave paintings. It is bred entirely for its meat production, and the great majority of the beef in the UK market (at least) is derived from Limousin stock. This is not what you would call an attractive breed, but it certainly fulfils the utility for which it is farmed.

Working with cattle always demands respect from the farmer, but this breed has been much engineered to bring in docility, which is essential for such a large beast. Handling from the calf stage on a regular basis, right through to breeding and showing, ensures building bonds of trust between handler and animal.