Maine-Anjou
In its own language: Rouge des Prés
A red and white French beef breed from the Maine country, once a milk and meat animal
A red pied French breed that grew out of the old province of Maine, where local Mancelle dairy cows were crossed with Durham stock from Britain. It once gave both milk and meat and is now kept for beef, with most of its numbers in the Pays de la Loire.
- Made in the 1800s by crossing Mancelle dairy cows with Durham cattle from Britain
- A herd book opened in 1908, when the name Maine-Anjou was adopted
- Called Rouge des Prés in France since 2004
- About 60,000 animals worldwide, with roughly two thirds of them in France
- Beef from Rouge des Prés herds gained Appellation d'Origine Protégée status in 2010
What do Maine-Anjou cattle look like?
These are big, deep-bodied cattle, red and white in a pattern often called red pied. Horns grow on cows as well as bulls. Like other taurine cattle, they carry no hump on the shoulder. Females measure about 140 cm at the withers, the ridge between the shoulder blades, and weigh between 850 and 1000 kg. Bulls average around 170 cm and weigh 1000 to 1500 kg. Some animals inherit a myostatin deficiency that adds muscle, giving what is called double muscling; the breed has not been bred deliberately for it.
Where does the Maine-Anjou come from?
In the 1800s, estate owners in the old province of Maine wanted better cattle and crossed their local Mancelle dairy cows with Durham animals brought over from Britain. Durham was the earlier name for the Shorthorn. The young breed was known at first as the Durham-Mancelle. A herd book opened in 1908 and the name Maine-Anjou was taken up. France has used the name Rouge des Prés since 2004, but the older name has held on abroad.
What the Maine-Anjou is known for
The breed is known for two things in particular: its past as a dual-purpose animal and the double-muscling gene that appears in some of its members. The extra muscle comes from a myostatin deficiency, never a selection goal, so not every animal shows it. Since about 1970 the emphasis has shifted from milk to meat, and that shift is the main change in how the breed is regarded.
How the Maine-Anjou is bred and kept
A herd book has existed since 1908. It is the pedigree record, the written account of each animal's parentage. Selection from about 1970 pushed the breed towards beef rather than milk. Breeders have not used the double-muscling trait as a target, even though it can appear. The cattle graze in north-western France, chiefly in the Pays de la Loire, with herds also in Basse-Normandie and Poitou-Charentes.
Maine-Anjou, drawn
What the Maine-Anjou is kept for
The Maine-Anjou began as a dual-purpose breed, milked and fattened. From roughly 1970 the beef side took over, and meat is now the main reason it is kept. In 2010 beef from Rouge des Prés cattle reared in eight named départements gained Appellation d'Origine Protégée recognition, a French label that ties a food to its place of production. Those départements are the Deux-Sèvres, Ille-et-Vilaine, Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Orne, Sarthe and Vendée.
The land and climate of the Maine-Anjou
The breed belongs to north-western France. Most of its French animals live in the Pays de la Loire, and the rest are largely in the neighbouring regions of Basse-Normandie and Poitou-Charentes. The protected beef production area spreads across eight départements in the same part of the country.
Who keeps the Maine-Anjou
The breed took shape in the hands of estate owners in Maine, who kept Mancelle cows for milk and wanted more from them. Today its keepers are farmers in north-western France, above all in the Pays de la Loire, and in the nearby regions of Basse-Normandie and Poitou-Charentes. Herds have also been established far away: breeders in the United States have registered the cattle since 1969.
At a glance: where it belongs
Land and climate
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
Roughly 60,000 Maine-Anjou are reported across eight countries. About two thirds of them are in France, and about nine in ten of those live in the Pays de la Loire, with the rest largely in Basse-Normandie and Poitou-Charentes. A third of the world total is in the United States, where registration began in 1969. In 2007 the FAO listed the breed as of no concern.
Questions people ask about Maine-Anjou
Where does the Maine-Anjou come from?
From north-western France. It was developed in the old province of Maine in the 1800s, and most of its French numbers are now in the Pays de la Loire, with others in Basse-Normandie and Poitou-Charentes.
What is it kept for?
Beef, mainly. It began as a dual-purpose breed giving both milk and meat, but from about 1970 breeders turned it towards beef production. Beef from Rouge des Prés animals in eight named départements holds Appellation d'Origine Protégée status.
Why does it have two names?
In France the breed has been called Rouge des Prés since 2004. Outside France the older name, Maine-Anjou, is still the one people use. An even earlier name, Durham-Mancelle, recalled the British Durham, now the Shorthorn, crossed with local Mancelle cattle.
How big are these cattle?
Large. Cows average about 140 cm at the withers and weigh 850 to 1000 kg. Bulls average about 170 cm and weigh 1000 to 1500 kg.
What is double muscling in this breed?
Some Maine-Anjou cattle carry a myostatin deficiency that produces extra muscle, known as double muscling. Breeding has not aimed at this trait, so it shows up only in some animals.
Good reading and sources
- Maine-Anjou on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Maine-Anjou", 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.
More from France
All the breeds of France
🇨🇭 Switzerland and 5 moreSimmental
A large dual-purpose breed from the Swiss Simme valley, red and white with strong growth rates.Taurine · Dual-purpose · Docile
🇫🇷 France and 3 moreCharolaisCharolaise
A large French taurine beef breed from eastern France, white to cream with pink noses and curved horns.Taurine · Beef · Docile
🇫🇷 France and 2 moreNormande
A large red-pied French dual-purpose breed, kept for rich milk and marbled beefTaurine · Dual-purpose · Rich milk
🇫🇷 France and 2 moreBlonde d'Aquitaine
A big wheat-coated beef breed from south-west France, born of three old draught linesTaurine · Beef
Its cousins elsewhere
All beef breeds
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreGayal
A semi-domesticated bovine of the Eastern Himalayas, kept for meat, milk and ceremonyMithun · Beef
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 5 moreBantengbanṭéng (Javanese/Sundanese)
A wild Southeast Asian ox; its tame form, Bali cattle, runs feral in northern AustraliaBanteng · Beef · Drought-hardy
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreBali cattle
A small humped breed from Indonesia, descended from wild banteng, kept for meat and plowing.Banteng · Beef · Disease-resistant
🇵🇰 Pakistan and 5 moreZebu
Humped, heat-tolerant cattle of South Asia, kept for milk, meat, work and ridingZebu · Dairy · Heat-tolerant