"MORE BEEF FOR YOUR BUCK"

"NEW LIMOUSIN GENE"

A team of researchers from Adelaide University have discovered a new gene which can increase beef yields by 20% without the need for additional feed.

Research Team Leader Dr Pitchford stated that the best way for a commercial breeder to ensure the presence of the gene was to use French Pure Limousin Bulls, as the progeny of these bulls will almost certainly have at least one copy of the gene.

However Limousins which have been graded up from other breeds have a lower frequency of the gene. The frequency in apricot graded up Limousins is 95.2% and in black graded up Limousins the frequency is 84.0% but this is still much higher that any other breed including Angus and Hereford as outlined below.

Major comments made by Dr Pitchford on this exciting breakthrough were:-
  1. Its pretty exciting really because you're getting about 20 per cent more of the really high value cuts
  2. You get more loin muscle, which is the one that run's down the back and is the highest quality cut
  3. The gene increases tenderness
  4. Meat from animals with the gene can require up to 15% less force to cut it
  5. You are basically getting more meat for the same cost of production
  6. The gene is found in 83% of LIMOUSIN cattle, compared to 0.6% in Angus and Zero in Hereford
  7. It's a very exciting breakthrough, which could make beef production significantly more profitable
This means for example in dollar terms "a 250 kg carcase this is 11 kgs of saleable beef values and at an average retail value of $16 /kg this amounts to $176 per carcase" - Quote Alex McDonald, Australian Limousin Breeders Society, Armidale.

Testing conducted by the University of Queensland Genetics Laboratory has revealed that the frequency of the this exciting new gene in French Pure Limousins is 98.3 % which means that nearly all French Pure Limousins are homozygous for the gene.

The scientific name of this new gene is "F94L gene" and a test is now available to enable Limousin Bull breeders to test for the gene at the University of Queensland.

"TO GET MORE BEEF FOR YOUR BUCK YOU NEED A LIMOUSIN BULL"

"IT'S A SCIENTIFIC PROVEN FACT"