Grass steer production system to improve carcass and meat quality

International audience; Three different production systems for autumn born dairy steers, managed more or less intensively, have been investigated. The aim of the production systems were to use a basic diet of grass, either grazed or conserved as silage or hay, combined in various proportions. The animals were slaughtered, aiming for the same degree of fattening, but at three ages. The intensive management aimed at slaughter in January-February at 26-28 months of age after indoor finishing with silage or hay. An "intensive out of season" management wished improves at slaughter at 28-30 months of age. Finally an extensive management with finishing at grazing resulted in slaughter in May-June at 30-33 months of age. In three successive factorial experiments, 106 steers of two genotypes, Holstein and Montbéliard were reared to test the effects of the three production systems. The animals were evaluated for productive traits, carcass quality and biochemical characteristics of m.longissimus thoracis and M. rhomboideus thoracis. For both breeds, the "extensive" animals produced heavier carcass (+20kg between "intensive" and "extensive"; P