piemontese meats demand piemontese meats demand piemontese meats demand piemontese meats demand piemontese
Feature
The Piemontese is the “buzz” beef breed as farmers wake-up to its high meat yield and restaurants clamour for more
The Piemontese is way ahead of any other beef breed in its ability to
kill out at 70% and bone out at 83% - and combined with its reputation
for lean, flavoursome beef, it’s maternal qualities and longevity
it’s no wonder this Italian breed is attracting a surge of interest
from UK beef producers.
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Demand for Piemontese bulls is almost outstripping supply as commercial beef producers – and dairy farmers – wake-up to the true potential of a breed which has been steadily improving since it first arrived in the UK 17 years ago.
And as the Single Farm Payment system forces beef producers to examine their costs of production, the easily managed Piedmontese with its high-output carcase and strong maternal traits, is back in the spotlight.
But there are more reasons for the renewed interest in the breed.
As more beef producers move into direct selling their prime beef as a way to maintain their profitability, the Piemontese and its unique eating quality ensures customers keep coming back for more.
It’s a demand that looks set to steadily increase following test results from the USA, UK and Italy which proves the very low cholesterol content of Piemontese beef.
The mg of cholesterol in a 100g piece of Piemontese beef is just 48.5mg compared with other beef (73mg), pork (79mg), roast chicken (76mg) and sole (52mg).
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Stuart Dover set-up his herd of pedigree Piemontese 18 years ago on the family’s Greenway Farm, Sandhurst near Gloucester. He now runs the UK’s largest pure-bred herd of around 160 cattle.
“We’ve sold around 50 bulls to suckler herd and dairy herds throughout the UK since we started but the demand is now as strong as it’s ever been.
“This is a well muscled breed but its fine-bone has a significant impact on increasing the commercial value of the carcase. In terms of the meat to bone ratio it is better than you’ll get from any other beef breed.
“Butchers love them because they get more beef for their money but from a farmer’s point of view the Piemontese is an easily managed breed that’s good to calve, has a strong maternal instinct and is a great laster. We’ve got some cows approaching 17 years old,” says Stuart Dover.
With mature bulls reaching over 1 tonne this is a breed with tremendous growth potential and in recent years several breeders have been using semen from some of Italy’s top-ranking bulls.
“There’s a wide gene pool in Italy with a vast amount of performance recording backing up the breeding programme. In the last 10 years there’s been a significant improvement in the breed’s weight gain and muscularity which is monitored via a BLUP scheme at Anaborapi - the Italian testing station,” says Stuart Dover.
“We’ve been producing some impressive calves out of Piemontese-sired sucklers bred out of dairy cows and as finished animals we’re looking at cross-bred steers weighing 600 kg at 14 months says Stuart Dover.
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And it’s not just the breed’s terminal sire qualities that are creating attention. Piemontese breeders say its ability to produce a cross-bred suckler dam out of dairy cows – or even home-bred suckler herd replacements – is firing demand.
But it’s the distinct eating quality and flavour of Piemontese beef that could be the biggest attraction to beef producers looking for a strong marketing angle for their retail sales from farm shops or by direct sales to consumers.
And already the breed’s reputation is spreading among restaurateurs who are now carrying Piemontese beef by name on their menus. The feedback they’re getting from customers and food buffs confirms the retail marketing opportunity for Piedmontese beef.
David Morgan runs the Golden Heart at Birdlip, Gloucestershire and says he just can’t get enough Piemontese beef to satisfy the demand.
“We use one beast a month and consistently get a high killing out percentage and an excellent yield meat. There’s less waste for the butcher who tells me he doesn’t have to throw away vast quantities of the carcase which happens all too often with other breeds,” says David Morgan.
Chefs in the kitchen at the Golden Heart praise Piemontese beef for the ease with which it can be prepared and its leanness.
“We use Piemontese beef by name on the menu and customers constantly remark on its eating quality. The only problems occur when we run out and we have to switch to other beef,” says David Morgan.
The British Piemontese Cattle Society Limited
The Society is a company limited by guarantee registered in England no. 2228994 and registered as a charity no. 802680.
