limousin cattle

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limousin cattle

Our Limousin herd – raising cattle with respect

LIMOUSIN CATTLE

If you eat meat, then opt for pasture-fed to Demeter standards

In the cycle of nature, soil, plants, animals and people interact and complement each other. So livestock farming is an essential part of a Demeter farm. At Hofgut Hermersberg we decided to keep Limousin cattle on our meadows and pastures. By their very nature, they offer great characteristics for high-quality meat.

Bred on the farm and raised naturally.

Important

At Hofgut Hemersberg we practise “respectful slaughter”.

A few times a year, our cattle are slaughtered on the farm to avoid transport stress. The meat is then prepared and is matured for a further two weeks or so before it goes on sale. The forthcoming slaughter and availability dates can be found on our website, in the newsletter or in the farm shop. We look forward to receiving your order.

The herd on our farm consists of some 50 Limousin cattle.

We keep them under near-natural conditions in a large family group, in which cows and calves remain together. We rear the male animals in addition to the mother cows. They are neutered so that they can remain in the herd. We have one bull who is responsible for the next generation on the farm. Limousin cattle are robust and sociable; the mother cows are very maternal and protective of their calves. In general our Limousins look after one another and their calm and peaceful natures have a beneficial effect on people too.

A good diet for premium meat.

We use around 25 hectares of our land as pasture for the herd. During the hot time of year, the cattle live in the open air and eat fresh grass and clover – just as nature intended. In the winter, they have access to a sunny, spacious open-fronted barn where they are fed with hay made from our own pastures. Our animals need no concentrates or cereals.

Demeter beef “just like it used to be”.

As well as having a natural diet, the way they are reared also plays an important role in the excellent quality of our beef. The muscle meat is finely marbled with fat, so it stays especially succulent, tender and flavourful when roasted and boiled. The male animals are neutered, which slows their growth. The meat is more fine-grained and so achieves the coveted fine marbling of fat. Our bullocks and oxen are slaughtered at around three years, which ensures the meat is truly fully matured. Many of our customers say that our meat “tastes like meat used to taste”.

Nose to tail.

Our holistic principle also includes an appreciation of resources and all life. So it is a matter of respect that we use all parts of the animal, rather than just a few prime cuts. For specialities such as offal, we have a number of long-standing customers in the region’s restaurants and food outlets.

Interesting facts about Limousin cattle

Limousin cattle originate from the region of the same name in central France. The animals typically have a red-brown coat with lighter patches around the eyes, mouth and legs. The cows calve relatively late (30 to 36 months); because the calves are small, they rarely have complications at birth. There are strains of Limousin cattle with and without horns. From the Demeter viewpoint, horns are part of the animals’ nature, so we ensure they are retained on our farm.

Horns are organs that are well supplied with blood and are connected to the frontal sinus. They are used for scratching, for interaction and for determining the pecking order within the herd. Just like people, cattle need their own personal space in order to move around stress-free. Cattle without horns are preferred by some people as they require less space and there is a reduced risk of injury. Many farmers opt for animals whose horns have been bred out in order to spare the calves the pain of dehorning and also save money. This is already common practice for the most economically significant breeds, including Limousin cattle. At Demeter, it is believed that horns also play a part in digestion, heat regulation and building up vital energy, and that they are an intrinsic part of the animals.

An interesting fact: We can see that horns on cattle differ in size around the world according to the availability of space and food. The more barren the situation, the larger the horns. In twenty or thirty years, many of today’s cattle breeds, including the Limousin, could be completely hornless. That would be an irrevocable genetic loss, not least because we do not know how hornlessness will affect the features in the long-term and perhaps even the animals’ ability to adapt to climate change. For this reason, the Demeter association prohibits dehorning and the farming of hornless animals. Retaining horned cattle poses additional challenges for us as farmers.

STRESS-FREE ON-FARM SLAUGHTER

Animal welfare is essential, even at the slaughter stage

On our farm, the cattle lead a peaceful life within their herd and are not exposed to unnecessary stress. To maintain this right through to the end, we practise “respectful slaughter”. With this method, the animals are enticed with food and voluntarily enter a mobile station that is brought to the farm.

Because we care about animal welfare.

With on-farm slaughter, the life cycle of our cattle ends as stress-free and gently as possible. The major benefit is that the butcher comes to the animal. The beast remains in its usual environment on the farm or in the pasture. They are enticed into the mobile stand with food, so there is no change in the perceived threat or moment that will trigger stress. The butcher stuns the animal with a captive bolt gun, then it is slaughtered within 60 seconds in a special truck. The meat is then further processed in accordance with the Demeter guidelines at the butcher’s shop.

Better animal welfare, better quality meat.

With this method of slaughter, the cattle do not release stress hormones, so their meat remains free from adrenalin. It retains a normal pH, and so remains tender when cooked. This gentle slaughter on the farm or in the field is therefore a good solution for our holistic livestock farming; it consistently takes account of animal welfare, while ensuring that the meat remains of a genuinely premium quality.