The Limousin, , is a French breed of beef cattle from the Limousin and Marche regions of France. It was formerly used mainly as a draught animal, but in modern times is reared for beef. A herd-book was established in France in 1886. With the mechanisation of agriculture in the twentieth century, numbers declined. In the 1960s there were still more than 250 000 head, but the future of the breed was not clear; it was proposed that it be merged with the other blonde draught breeds of south-western France – the Blonde des Pyrénées, the Blonde de Quercy and the Garonnaise – to form the new Blonde d'Aquitaine. Instead, a breeders' association was formed; new importance was given to extensive management, to performance recording and to exports. In the twenty-first century the Limousin is the second-most numerous beef breed in France after the Charolais. It is a world breed, raised in about eighty countries round the world, many of which have breed associations. History The Limousin originates in the Limousin, the area surrounding Limoges on the western flank of the Massif Central. It was originally a robust draught animal, used for agricultural work. As elsewhere, oxen at the end of their working lives were fattened and sent to slaughter, at times in major cities such as Bordeaux or Paris. In 1791, Jacques-Joseph Saint-Martin, an agronomist from Limoges, acknowledged the importance of Limousin cattle in the markets of cities such as Paris, Lyon, and Toulouse. Limousin cattle actually came from the departments of Charente, Dordogne, Haute-Vienne, Vienne, Lot, Corrèze, and Creuse. The market for Limousin cattle declined slightly in the early 19th century, but livestock still remained a major activity in the region. A large variation in the agricultural systems was operating in the Limousin region, defined by three types of district. These were productive, grain-producing areas, called d'engrais, undeveloped, marginal, predominantly forested land called forestiers, and developing land called d'élèves. Cattle, in particular cows, were used extensively for all types of agricultural work. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Limousin region was characterised by the mediocrity of its animals. Texier-Olivier Louis, prefect of the Haute-Vienne, observed that Limousin cattle weighed 300 to 350 kg and measured 1.5 m at the withers. The defect was considered to be attributable to poor genetics, nutrition and breeding practices. In competitions, Limousin cattle were among the worst performers. The breed was