How the Bonsmara changed the trajectory of beef cattle breeding in SA and beyond

The Bonsmara is a South African breed that was bred to thrive under African conditions, says Louis Steyl, CEO of the breeders' society Bonsmara SA. He spoke to Annelie Coleman about the origins of the breed and the value it has added to sustainable and profitable beef production on a global level.

- Annelie Coleman

What, in your opinion, motivated Prof Jan Bonsma and his team to embark on the development of the Bonsmara breed in the 1930s?

Bonsma wanted to develop a cattle breed that combined the adaptability of indigenous breeds (Nguni, Afrikaner, and so on) with the meat and carcass quality of imported breeds (Hereford, Sussex, and so on).

The biggest problem that the local beef industry faced in the 1930s was the fact that the indigenous cattle adapted to survive under Southern African conditions did not have the meat and carcass quality for profitable production. The cattle breeds imported from the US and Europe had the meat and carcass characteristics needed but struggled to produce due to sub-tropical degeneration where the animals struggled to adapt to the Southern African environment and climate.

Tell us about the when, why, where and what of the exportation of the breed and the role it played in the countries it was exported to.

The export of Bonsmara embryos to South America began in the late 1990s. The biggest reason was that big beef cattle-producing countries Brazil and Argentina sat with the same problem we did in the 1930s.

They had indigenous cattle in the Nelore breed that was very hardy and adapted, but the quality of their meat is not very good. If they tried crossbreeding with Bos taurus cattle, the animals struggled to adapt and production went down. That’s why they started looking for breeds elsewhere in the world that had better meat quality and would survive in their climate.

Today, the Bonsmara is thriving in South America and quickly becoming one of the more popular breeds for use in feedlot systems due to good growth and carcass quality. Because these countries are major beef exporters, they need to assure their international buyers that the meat quality is superior.