First Charolais Import

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31908, 8 February 1969, Page 10

First Charolais Import

A Southland fanner, Mr A. K. Finlayson, of Mossburn, is importing a Charolais bull from Britain. He will have the first pure-bred Charolais in the country. The bull, Crogham Centurion, which will be two years old on September 1 this year, is coming from Mr John Barber, of Crogham Farm, Wymondham, Norfolk. Crogham Centurion was sired by Simoun, one of the most frequently nominated of the British Milk Marketing Board’s Charolais stud. At birth Centurion weighed 1151 b and Mr Finlayson says that at various stages he has been achieving a daily live-weight gain of 3.1 and 4.11 b.

Mr Finlayson farms about 1500 acres of flats and 1500 acres of hill country at Mossburn and has a herd of about 250 Aberdeen Angus breeding cows, a considerable num-

ber of which have been inseminated with Charolais semen in the last two years. Mr Finlayson says that he plans to establish a Charolais stud. He has made no decision yet about importing Charolais female stock and says that he could not get them from Britain at present even if he wanted them because their export at present is not allowed. He was not prepared to divulge the price he had paid for Centurion but he said it ’ was a very valuable animal. Mr Finlayson is convinced ’ that there is a great future for the Charolais in this coun- ’ try on the basis of overseas , experience when the emphasis ’ is on rate of growth and pro- ; duction of lean meat. At present Mr Finlayson is : not certain when his bull will be shipped, but according to : the information section of the British High Commission in : New Zealand it is expected to sail on the Huntingdon with : other British livestock from London about the middle of this month. Once in New Zealand the bull will spend about 50 days in quarantine at Silverstream.