IRISH  ANGUS  CATTLE  SOCIETY

Origins
The Irish Angus Cattle Society was established in 1967, having as its primary objective the development and improvement of the breed in Ireland. A progressive Society, it is responsible for introducing AI to the breed and for acquiring Canadian blood lines which radically improved the conformation of the Angus breed. It is also the first breed Society in Ireland to introduce a breed specific beef scheme – the Certified Irish Angus Beef Scheme.

Breed Characteristics & Qualities
Irish Angus cattle are characteristically black, polled, beef type animals.
The coat colour is black with the possible exception of the underline behind the naval, where minor white markings are permitted. The hair is short to medium in length, silky and of medium thickness. The skin is black-pigmented. The head is small to medium in length, broad in the forehead, wide and black on the muzzle and is always polled. The body is long with a straight wide back, deep body and chest and with the underline parallel to the back. The hindquarters are long, wide and fully fleshed with the flesh carried well down to the hocks.

Among the beef breeds Irish Angus produce relatively small calves at birth, which are generally born without difficulty. However, they grow quickly producing relatively early maturing, high quality beef animals particularly suited to the best quality butcher trade. They have a high carcase to liveweight percentage and a low percentage of bone in the joints.

Irish Angus cattle are hardy, adaptable cattle suitable to beef production under a range of different production and environmental conditions. The Irish Angus are a particularly suitable breed for crossing with dairy breeds to produce animals suitable for beef production. Its easy calving, pollness, beefing quality and colour marking characteristics are much valued in this regard.

Advantages of the breed

• Ease of calving, leading to increases in cow fertility
• Naturally polled
• Early maturing breed finishing off grass
• Need minimum concentrate input
• Good temperament, good mothering ability and noted for their longevity
• Good kill out rates
• World famous quality beef

Without doubt Angus are the best all rounders. With traits of easy calving, early maturity, high fertility, quiet temperament, optimal growth rate and efficiency, producing carcase quality, and ability to finish early it is no wonder Angus are the breed in demand for both pedigree and commercial herds.

For further details contact:
The Irish Angus Cattle Society,
24 Hawthorn Crescent, Boyle Rd., Carrick-On-Shannon, Co. Roscommon.

Tel: +353 71 9620253/9620340
Email: angus@iol.ie
Web: www.irishangus.ie