John Thomas
Executive Officer
Email:
john.thomas@abri.une.edu.au
Phone:
(02) 6773 3126
Fax:
(02) 6772 1943
Phone:
02 6773 3144
Australian
Chianina Society
The Chianina Society of Australia (CSA) regulates the stud registration of the Chianina Breed & Chianina Crossbreeds in Australia, along with regulation of Chianina and Chianina crossbred genetics from overseas and protocols for showing of the breed in agricultural events & competitions.
The CSA membership is made up of dedicated enthusiasts of the breed with business models that range from stud breeding & international export of genetics on the one extreme, to large commercial herds of Chianina &/or crossbreds at the other.
In between are a range of different operations that evidence the Chianina’s versatility as a commercial breed, including specialist carcass breeders who supply Italian Butchers or private consumer meat packs of the famed Chianina Bistecca alla Fiorentina – regarded by many as the world’s finest specialty steak.
Chianina studs & breeders are spread across mainland Australia, & the breed is widely used for crossbreeding with Angus in temperate Southern Australia (Chiangus) & with Brahman in tropical Northern Australia.
The CSA was formed in 1974 upon the importation of the first Chianina genetics to reach Australia. Under the stewardship of Australian/Italian cattleman Rick Pisaturo semen from some 30 Italian bulls from the leading bloodlines of the time were imported & widely used for crossbreeding with other breeds. Shortly thereafter Murrundindi Chianina Stud imported a number of full-blood Italian heifers via embryos produced in England & calved in New Zealand - & these became the foundation full blood females for the Australian herd.
However, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Italy prevented any more imports to Australia for many years, until at last in 1999 Man O’War Chianina Stud managed to import semen from the giant bull Ditolo, & several other bulls in the following few years, including Grand Champion bulls of Italy Deodato, Pascia Della Favorita & arguably Italy’s most renowned sire Lio de Maria Bianca.
These importations breathed fresh life into the breed, as during the intervening years when Australia was denied genetic importations the Italians had significantly improved the muscling & beef characteristics of the breed (refer to the section of this website on ANABIC for further detail), & led to dramatic improvement in the quality of the Australian Full Blood Chianina herd.
Most recently Le Torri Chianina Stud & Fairbury Chianina Stud respectively have managed to import embryos direct from Italy of the finest current bloodlines, & when combined with the AI sires already imported Australian breeders now have access to all of the main Italian bloodlines & to genetics the equal of any in the world.
Equally as exciting for Southern Australia has been the importation of ancient Angus semen from Dunn Louise Stud in Scotland, which when joined with the finest modern Italian Chianina genetics gives an explosion of muscle & hybrid vigour that results in black progeny that have remarkable growth rate, disease resistance, & are highly bloat tolerant, represents the pinnacle of the Chiangus breed.
Likewise the use of modern Chianina bulls in Northern Australia over Brahman cows has led to a crossbred with superior growth & carcass characteristics & that can graze much farther from waterholes than other breeds.
Turning to the end product, Chianina beef is the leanest of all beef breeds, with significant health benefits. It is the world famous Bistecca alla Fiorentina, & highly sought after by Italian butchers. One Australian stud in particular - Isola Chianina - has created a substantial business supplying specialty meat packs to Melbourne consumers, & other studs around the country are actively developing direct to butcher &/or consumer specialty sales.
Under the guidance of the CSA the ancient Chianina breed has found a variety of roles in the diverse Australian market, & looks certain to only gain in popularity in the future.
Download and complete the form below to receive Chianina updates, offers, and info. Then, email your application to John Thomas at john.thomas@abri.une.edu.au.
Register Chianina Cattle
Download the files and follow the instructions while completing the registration form to register your Chianina cattle.
Register Chiangus Cattle
Download the files and follow the instructions while completing the registration form to register your Chiangus cattle.
Herdbook
John Thomas
Executive Officer
Email:
john.thomas@abri.une.edu.au
Phone:
(02) 6773 3126
Fax:
(02) 6772 1943
John Thomas
Executive Officer
Email:
john.thomas@abri.une.edu.au
Phone:
(02) 6773 3126
Fax:
(02) 6772 1943
John Thomas
Executive Officer
Email:
john.thomas@abri.une.edu.au
Phone:
(02) 6773 3126
Fax:
(02) 6772 1943