Bretonne Pie Noir
A small pied black and white dairy cow from Brittany, once half a million strong
A small dairy breed with a pied black and white coat, from Brittany in north-western France, kept for its milk. Cows stand about 117 cm and give some 3,500 kg a lactation; numbers fell from roughly 500,000 to about 15,000 by 1976.
- A herd book for the breed was opened in 1886.
- Some 500,000 head early in the 1900s; about 15,000 left by 1976.
- Its conservation plan of 1976 was the first for any cattle breed.
- Cows are about 117 cm at the withers and weigh about 450 kg.
- Milk yield is about 3,500 kg a lactation, 4.4% fat, 3.4% protein.
What do Bretonne Pie Noir cattle look like?
A small dairy breed with a black and white pied coat. The two colours come in patches rather than a neat band. A red pied form also existed and died out during the twentieth century. Both sexes carry horns. Cows are the smaller of the two: about 117 cm at the withers, the ridge between the shoulders, and about 450 kg. Bulls stand roughly 123 cm and weigh around 600 kg. The animals are humpless and compact rather than rangy, which is part of why they manage on thin grazing.
Where does the Bretonne Pie Noir come from?
Brittany, in the north-west of France, is where this breed took shape. Its home ground lies in the west of the peninsula, in the districts of Cornouaille and the Pays de Vannes, which fall within Finistère and Morbihan. A herd book was opened in 1886. Early in the twentieth century there were around half a million of these cattle. Numbers then fell sharply, so that only about 15,000 remained in 1976, when a rescue plan was drawn up. That plan was the first of its kind for any breed of cattle.
What the Bretonne Pie Noir is known for
Cattle for modest means. The breed is small and undemanding, gives a good return of milk for its size, and can make a living on poor, marginal ground where bigger stock would struggle. Those four qualities are what fitted it to traditional Breton farming. A farm with little spare feed can keep it. That hardiness, rather than size or show looks, is the breed's strong point.
How the Bretonne Pie Noir is bred and kept
A herd book for the breed dates from 1886, so breeders have recorded their animals for well over a century. By 1976, when about 15,000 head remained, a conservation plan was started. It was the first scheme of that sort for any breed of cattle. The aim was to keep the breed going and bring its numbers back up. Cows are milked and turned out to graze, and the compact frame suits farms with limited pasture.
Bretonne Pie Noir, drawn
What the Bretonne Pie Noir is kept for
The breed is kept for milk. A lactation gives roughly 3,500 kg, and the milk tests at about 4.4% fat and 3.4% protein. Some of it is turned into gwell, a fermented milk product traditional in Brittany. Because the cow is small and cheap to feed, the milk is produced on land that would not carry larger dairy stock. Good productivity from a little animal is the point of the breed, and it is classed as a dairy type.
The land and climate of the Bretonne Pie Noir
Brittany, in the north-west of France, is a temperate place, mild and damp, and the breed grew up there. It copes with ground that is poor or marginal, the sort of terrain other cattle do not do well on. Small size and modest needs are what let it manage on thin pasture.
Who keeps the Bretonne Pie Noir
The breed belongs to the farming tradition of Brittany and was kept by Breton families on the region's mixed farms. Small cows with modest demands fitted the land and the working year of traditional Breton agriculture, and their milk went into local dairy use, including the fermented milk called gwell. Numbers were once high enough that the breed was a common sight across the region, before the steep fall of the twentieth century.
At a glance: where it belongs
Land and climate
Peoples
Custom and folk tradition
Gwell, a fermented milk, belongs to Breton food tradition, and this breed's milk has gone into it. On farms the cow was part of the working pattern of the region: small, milked at home, kept on land that was not generous. The herd book of 1886 and the rescue plan of 1976 are both part of its story as a breed that people chose to keep.
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
Numbers were once very large: about half a million animals at the start of the twentieth century. That century saw a steep fall, and by 1976 around 15,000 were left, at which point a conservation plan began. A herd book had existed since 1886. For 2007 the FAO did not list the breed at all, while DAD-IS in 2025 records it as at risk or endangered. Brittany remains the region where it is found.
Questions people ask about Bretonne Pie Noir
Where does the Bretonne Pie Noir come from?
From Brittany, in north-western France. Its home districts are in the west of the peninsula: Cornouaille, and the area around Vannes. Finistère and Morbihan are the départements that hold them, and the breed is still found in the region.
What is the breed kept for?
Milk. One lactation gives about 3,500 kg, testing around 4.4% fat and 3.4% protein. Some of the milk is made into gwell, a fermented Breton milk product, and the animals are classed as a dairy type.
How big are the animals?
Small. Cows average about 117 cm at the withers and 450 kg. Bulls average about 123 cm and 600 kg. Both sexes are horned, and the coat is pied black and white.
Is the breed rare?
Yes. Numbers dropped from roughly 500,000 early in the twentieth century to about 15,000 in 1976, when a conservation plan started. DAD-IS records the breed as at risk or endangered.
What colour is it?
Pied black and white, in patches of the two colours. A red pied form also existed and disappeared during the twentieth century. Bulls can look unusually dark, as one old photograph shows.
Good reading and sources
- Bretonne Pie Noir on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Bretonne Pie Noir", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryCow rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Sizes, colours and customs differ from one herd, valley or breeder to the next. Folk beliefs are described as tradition, never as advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-16.
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