Zabariv Agro, which is the largest Limousin farm in Russia and boasts a 15,000 head cattle herd including 2000 pure Limousins, began its search in Western Victoria last week for 400 Apricot and Red-coloured Limousin females, weighing from 300-400kg and sired by Society-registered Limousin bulls.

Zabariv Agro board chairman Roustam Zartdinov said the interest in Australian-bred Limousins sprang from the favourable exchange rate.

He said while the Australian Limousin was not considered to be of the same high standard of the Pure French Limousins, they would be half the cost landed home in the Bashkortostan Republic in central Russia.

A Russian banker until four years ago, Mr Zartdinov said the search for high quality Australian Limousin genetics was central to the company’s plans to sell 150 Stud Limousin bulls annually to other Russian-based agricultural companies.

The Limousin and Charolais breeds are very popular in Russia for their weight gain and lean meat quality he said, but almost the entire Russian herd was focused towards milk production and not meat.

This was about to change, he suggested, as the Russian consumer becomes more affluent and begins seeking for higher quality goods and products, including both milk and meat.