PRESENTATION

The origin of charolais international

Identified during the Middle-Ages on the Charollais and Brionnais farmlands, the Charolais breed, chosen by the breeders from these regions obtained an important development, a strong muscle structure with little fat and an exceptional growth potential. These three characteristics are those which would emerge in the wishes of the breeders from all over the world in the first quarter of the 20th century. In fact, on the one hand, doctors recommend diets producing less fat whilst the development of refrigeration made it unnecessary to have a layer of fat on the carcasses (to preserve them) during transportation.

The era of the Charolais breed had arrived. A breeder from the “Allier, Emile Maurice, was the first to understand this reality and during the nineteen-fifties spent lavishly in order to make the Charolais breed known in Europe and throughout the world. His personal qualities, his sense of diplomacy and negotiation, his knowledge of the English and Spanish langages, his moral standing and acquired experience would, for many years, make him the true ambassador for the Charolais breed.

These missions successfully concluded in the exportation of Charolais breeding stock to numerous countries and the creation of a Charolais breeders association wherever the original core group was of sufficient size. In 1964, Emile Maurice proposed the creation of an International Federation of these associations which would take the name of FIAERBC (Fédération Internationale des Associations d’Eleveurs de Charolais).
In 1999, this federation would modernise its statutes and take the name of Charolais International.

The presence of the charolais breed in the world

In Europe
The first Charolais left for Italy in 1924 and was very quickly crossbred with the local breeds (Piémontaise, Romagnola…). Today the Italian Charolais herd is large and, above all, every year, half a million 8-month-old weaned calves (grass-fed) leave France for the fattening-up workshops of the Pô Valley.

Spain and Portugal discovered and introduced the Charolais in large numbers in the nineteen-sixties, where they showed their excellent qualities of adaptation under difficult climatic conditions (temperature differences, drought, hours of sunshine).

In the nineteen-seventies, the central European countries, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary set up some experiments to judge the superiority of the stock crossbred with Charolais. This was proved to be the case no matter which maternal breed was used (Fleckvieh, Simmental, Hereford, Hungarian grey, etc…).

In the Scandinavian countries, after some conclusive crossbreeding trials with Jersey Cattle, a regular flow of exportation was established with Denmark, Sweden and Norway who wished to increase their meat production on their dairy herd whose numbers were decreasing.

In the United Kingdom, it wasn’t until 1960 that the British Government authorised limited importation of Charolais semen and the interest in crossbreeding was appreciated. These trials proved successful and at present the sale of Charolais represents half the volume of sales of all breeds of bulls.

In Ireland, where the agricultural and climatic conditions are particularly favourable for breeding, the Charolais is the number one continental meat-producing breed in every region on the island.

On the American Continent
It was via South America, that the Charolais was introduced. In 1924 the Brasilian government bought some Charolais breeding stock. Twenty years later, after crossbreeding experimentation with the Zébu breed had been carried out, saw the birth of the Canchim breed.

With regular stock from France, the Brazilian Charolais herd has become one of the largest in the world.

A little later, in the nineteen-fifties, the Charolais spread to Argentina and Colombia where they were crossbred with the Zébu Nélores and the Creole breeds.

Chili, Paraguay, Uruguay and Peru used them with the Zébu, Creole and Santa Gertrudis breeds.

The Charolais was also a wonderful success in Mexico under the most extreme climatic conditions and also in crossbreeding with the Brahman breed of cow in Cuba, Venezuela and in the French West Indies.

In the United States, due to a health ban, the importation of livestock was forbidden until 1966. This led the American Association to consider as “pure bred” the stock obtained by the importation of Charolais semen and its utilisation on local females having at least 31/32 of Charolais blood.

The stock was so successful that the American breeders put pressure on their government and from 1967 livestock could be introduced after two periods of quarantine ; one at St Pierre et Miquelon and the other at Grosse Ile in Quebec.



The American Charolais Association developed some absorption programmes which led to the production of genetically hornless stock (polled), as well as the Charbray by cross between the Charolais and Brahman.

In 1958, the Charolais was introduced into Canada from stock imported from the United States. In 1965, the Canadian Government had a high-security quarantine centre built on the small island of “Grosse Ile”. This would serve as a hub for the importation of livestock to Canada and the United States.

In Africa

Outside the tropical zones, the Charolais has been a great success as a pure-breed and above all as a crossbreed with local breeds. The largest concentration of Charolais is found in South Africa where it is crossbred with Afrikaner, Brahman and Bonsmara cows.

In Asia

Some small concentrations of Charolais have been introduced into Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines and Japan to be crossbred with the local breeds, Santa Gertrudis and Indo Brazil.



In China, some Charolais bulls have been successfully introduced and there is great hope for their development in the large breeding regions like inner-Mongolia.


In Australasia

The first Charolais stock semen was first sent to New Zealand and then to Australia from the United Kingdom because of their strict sanitary regulations. Today the Charolais is present in all the big breeding regions of these two countries.

Some direct importations have been carried out in the Anglo-French condominium of the New Hebrides (now called Vanuatu). When the country became independent this stock went to enlarge the New Caledonian herd. The quality of this island’s herd and its sanitary status makes the direct importation of French stock to Australia envisageable.
The success of the Charolais in all these countries has led to the creation of the Charolais Breeders Association who are members of Charolais International.

The objectives of Charolais International