Country of origin France Scientific name Bos taurus | Skin colour beige Rank Breed | |
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Distribution BrittanyNormandyMassif Central Use dual-purpose, milk and meat Weight Male: 900–1100 kgFemale: 700–800 kg Height Male: 155 cmFemale: 144 cm Similar French Simmental, Bretonne Pie Noir, Abondance cattle, Armorican cattle, Normande | ||
Prix championnat pie rouge des plaines paris 2012
The Pie Rouge des Plaines is a modern French breed of dairy cattle. It was created in about 1970 by cross-breeding the traditional Armorican cattle of Brittany, in north-western France, with red-pied cattle of the Dutch Meuse-Rhine-Yssel and German Deutsche Rotbunte breeds.
Contents
History
The Pie Rouge des Plaines is a modern breed. In 1970, farmers raising the traditional red-pied Armorican cattle in the three western départements of Brittany – Côtes-d'Armor, Finistère and the Morbihan – took the decision to merge their breed with red-pied cattle of Germany and the Netherlands, through a programme of extensive cross-breeding with German Rotbunt and Dutch Meuse-Rhine-Yssel stock, to create a new dairy breed with good meat-producing qualities.:72:179 A breeders' association, the Eleveurs de la Race Française Pie Rouge des Plaines, was formed, and a herd-book was opened for the new breed in 1970 or 1971.:72 From 1982 an attempt was made to increase size and udder quality by introducing Red Holstein blood; however, the resulting stock was less successful for beef production.:72
The Pie Rouge des Plaines is concentrated mainly in Brittany, where about 80% of the total herd is found; it is also distributed in Normandy, and – to a lesser extent – in the Massif Central.:73 The total population is estimated at about 60 000, with approximately 3 500 cows registered in the herd-book. Frozen semen from some 150 bulls is available for artificial insemination.
The original Armorican breed has become rare: it was listed by the FAO as "critically endangered" in 2007.:136 In 2005, the population was estimated at about 240 head, and in 2014 it was 263.
Characteristics
The Pie Rouge des Plaines is red-pied, with short crescent-shaped horns. The skin, muzzle and mucosa are pale. Cows have good resistance to mastitis.:75
Use
Pie Rouge des Plaines has good dairy aptitude. Milk yield is of the order of 8000 kg in a lactation of 329 days. The milk has 4.3% fat and 3.3% protein. Meat production also contributes to profitability.:75