🇫🇷 The cattle breeds of France

France keeps about 19.3 million cattle, and its many regions have shaped a wide range of breeds, from blond beef types in the south west to pied dairy herds in the mountains. Migration, trade and crossbreeding brought in blood from Britain, the Alps and the North Sea coast, plus zebu in the overseas departments. Cheese and lean beef lead, and breeding stock is exported worldwide.

• France held 19.3 million cattle in 2010, with 7.7 million cows in production.
• Blonde d'Aquitaine was formed in 1962 by merging three south-western blond breeds.
• Savoyard AOC cheese rules cap yield at 5,000 kg of milk per lactation.
• Aubrac and Abondance are of monastic origin, selected in abbeys.
• Villard-de-Lans survived through a group of determined breeders, now around 1,000 head.

Cattle in France

Cattle reached France along several routes, from the Danube, the Mediterranean shore and North Africa by way of Gibraltar, and the country's herds still carry traces of those different arrivals. Almost every European branch of the species is represented here, from the blond and red cattle of the south west to the pied (patched) mountain herds of the east. Each district, sometimes each valley, settled on an animal that suited its soil and climate. Neighbouring stock crossed the borders freely: Spanish and Portuguese blond cattle resemble the Aquitaine type, Alpine pie rouge cattle link France with Switzerland, and British blood flowed into the north west. Farm work, milk and meat were all expected of the same herd for a long time.

The breeds

Charolais, Limousin and Blonde d'Aquitaine are the best known beef breeds, all three descended from heavy working cattle of the south and centre. The dairy side is led by Montbéliarde, Prim'Holstein and Normande, with Abondance and Tarentaise (Tarine) in the Savoy Alps and Salers and Aubrac in the Massif Central. Parthenaise is the heaviest of the brown branch. Smaller local breeds include Bretonne Pie Noir, Froment du Léon, Bleue du Nord, Rouge des Prés, Vosgienne, Gasconne, Bazadaise, Corsican, Camargue and Villard-de-Lans. In the overseas departments there are zebu crosses such as Brahmane in Martinique and Creole in Guadeloupe.

Regions and communities

Breed choice follows the land closely. The Alpine valleys kept Abondance, Montbéliarde and Tarentaise for cheese milk, and Savoyard cheese rules cap yield at 5,000 kg per lactation, which suits those cows. The Massif Central holds Salers and Aubrac, the south west the blond and red beef types, and the north west the heavy Normande and Rouge des Prés. Brittany and the Atlantic coast have their own small pied breeds. Corsica and the Camargue keep cattle that may have been in place since antiquity. Martinique, Guadeloupe and Réunion breed zebu crosses and Criollo or Moka stock.

Milk, butter and beef

Milk has long gone first into cheese and butter rather than the liquid market, and France is known as a big cheese producer; the Alpine breeds in particular exist to fill the AOC (protected origin) cheese vats. In 2005 the national herd gave 239 million hectolitres of milk. Beef and leather come from the same animals, and the blond and red breeds are valued for lean meat. Cattle long selected for yoke work were found to carry much less cholesterol in their meat. Calves raised on their mother's milk have become a selling point, and the Salers is noted as an especially good feeder.

Festivals, fairs and faith

Agricultural shows were introduced in 1833 by Adolphe Thiers, at the time Minister of Trade and Agriculture, and breeding competitions began around 1850. Both helped lift the quality of French stock. The other gathering force is the breed society: breeders who feel a strong attachment to their ancestral cattle have kept low-yield breeds alive, and keepers of small breeds can now receive aid to maintain pure herds.

Today

In 2010 the national herd was 19.3 million head, with 7.7 million cows in production: 4.2 million suckling and 3.5 million dairy. Milk output in 2005 came to 239 million hectolitres. Breeding stock is exported to every continent. Rescue work continues: Villard-de-Lans has climbed back to around 1,000 animals, the Bordeaux breed was rebuilt from crossbred stock, and small purebred herds receive support. Montbéliarde is the top yielder among the pie rouge mountain breeds.