Europe has a very large and varied cattle herd, comprising around fifty different breeds that conjure up the charm and originality of the regions that go to make up our heritage. The fact that there are so many different breeds in Europe’s regions is due not only to the type of soil, the relief, the climate or the different types of pastureland, but also to the requirements of the producers. Once producers have defined their production goals, they select a breed according to how well it is suited to the system of production they plan to use:
> free range production (cattle outdoors all year round),
> semi-free range production (cattle brought indoors in winter),
> more intensive production (fattening).
The breed they prefer will depend on:
> the advantages and drawbacks of each breed,
> the type of production: cow-calf producer, producer/fattener or fattener,
> the region of production, and the advantages and drawbacks of its climate and agriculture,
> availability of feed,
> labour,
> their own personal taste: livestock producers are people who love their job and their animals.
It is possible to distinguish between three different types of breed of cattle:
> Beef breeds (also known as suckler breeds, because the cows suckle their calves) are selected for their suitability for meat production (muscle development, average daily gain, proportion of tender cuts, etc), their milk production being used exclusively for the growing calf during the first few months of its life). This type of breed is made up of two families:
>>> traditional breeds: Angus, Blonde d'Aquitaine, Charolais, Hereford, Limousin, Morucha, Parthenais, Piedmont, Rouge des prés (formerly known as Maine-Anjou), Rubia Gallega, etc.;
>>> hardy breeds, which were formerly selected according to their suitability as draught animals or for dairy production in tough environments (high altitude, low temperatures, etc), but which today ensure production of calves and beef in environments that are poor in resources. This contributes to the upkeep of the environment and to harmonious land-use management at the national level. This group includes the following breeds: Alentejana, Aubrac, Galloway, Gascon, Highland, Retinta, Romagnola, Salers, etc.;
> Dairy breeds are selected according to just one criterion: milk production, both in terms of quantity and quality (especially milk fat and protein) The dairy herd provides most of the beef produced in the EU. Although the quality of the carcasses (conformation, etc) of dairy cattle is inferior to that of suckler or dual-purpose breeds, this does not affect the quality of the beef for the consumer. Ayrshire, Breton Black-and-White, Brown, Holstein, Jersey, Meuse-Rhine-Yssel, Red Pied, etc.
> Dual-purpose breeds give excellent milk production, nearly as good as that of specialised dairy breeds. But when their dairy career is over, the high quality of the carcass ensures good slaughter quality. As their name suggests, these breeds are suited to the production of both milk and beef. The main dual-purpose breeds are: Montbéliarde, Normande, Aosta Red-Pied, Pinzgau, Simmental, etc.
Ovine races
France can proudly claim one of the most diversified ovine productions as far as regions and types of production are concerned: indeed, France has more than 30 listed races. Muttons are bred everywhere in France, either in large flocks of several hundreds of ewes, or in complement of other productions. This is often justified by the necessity of using the poorest plots of land and fodder resources, or those that are valuable only in meadows. Thus 80% of the ovine production is made in dry areas, or in poor areas, or in mountains and high mountains.
The ovine races can be divided into six different types :
Precocious races are selected for their high potential of growth and their great reproduction aptitudes : ILE DE FRANCE, BERRICHON DU CHER, SOUTH DOWN, SUFFOLK...
Pasture races are bred in the large breeding areas located near the ocean : CHAROLLAIS, BLEU DU MAINE, ROUGE DE L'OUEST, VENDÉEN, CHARMOISE, TEXEL, AVRANCHIN, COTENTIN, ...
The rustic races are bred in the difficult areas of high and medium mountain : BLANC DU MASSIF CENTRAL, PREALPE DU SUD, LIMOUSINE, LACAUNE VIANDE...
The races MERINOS, selected originally for their wool, are nowadays used for meat production.
The prolific races, developed mainly to increase the numerical productivity of the French livestock : ROMANOV.
The dairy races are bred for the production of milk and cheese: LACAUNE, MANECH, BASCO-BEARNAISE...
There are 55,000 French ovine’ breeders owning more than 10 ewes. Their total livestock is of more than 7 millions mother-ewes.
