Belgian Blue

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A Belgian Blue bull
A Belgian Blue bull

Belgian Blue cattle are a heavy breed, producing large amounts of meat. The sculpted, heavily muscled appearance is known as "doubled muscled", and is a trait shared by the Piedmontese breed. Critics call Belgian blues "monster cows" and some countries have advocated eliminating the strain [1]. They are often unable to give birth without caesarean section. They are named for their blue-grey mottled hair colour.

Belgian blue has a natural mutation of the gene that codes for myostatin, a protein that counteracts muscle growth. The truncated myostatin is unable to function in this capacity. This mutation also interferes with fat deposition, resulting in very lean meat.

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