Aubrac cattle

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Aubrac
Vache Aubrac.jpg
Aubrac cow
Conservation status FAO (2007): not at risk [1] : 143 
Other namesLaguiole [2] : 219 
Country of originFrance
Distribution Auvergne, Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées
Usemeat
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    950 kg [3]
  • Female:
    650 kg [3]
Height
  • Male:
    140 cm [3]
  • Female:
    129 cm [3]
Skin colourblack
Coatwheaten
Horn statushorned in both sexes
  • Cattle
  • Bos (primigenius) taurus
The bull is darker in colour than the cows Taureau Aubrac.jpg
The bull is darker in colour than the cows

The Aubrac or Laguiole is a French breed of beef cattle. It originates on the Plateau de l'Aubrac in the Massif Central in central southern France, from which it also takes its name. It has a wheat-coloured coat and dark hooves, switch, muzzle and eyes.

Contents

History

The Aubrac is a traditional breed of the Plateau de l'Aubrac in the Massif Central, which spans the modern départements of the Aveyron, the Cantal and the Lozère, in the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Occitanie. [3] In the twenty-first century almost 90% of the breed population is concentrated in that area. A herd-book was started in 1893. [4] : 114 

Some limited cross-breeding took place in the twentieth century: with the Mézenc, now extinct, between 1935 and 1945; with the Maraîchine between 1945 and 1955; and with the Parthenaise between 1955 and 1975. [3]

The conservation status of the Aubrac is 'not at risk'. [1] : 143  In 2014 the population in France was reported at about 170000 head; for 2021 it was over 506000. [5] The cattle have been exported to a number of countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas; substantial numbers are reported by Ireland and Lithuania. [6]

Characteristics

The Aubrac is robust, frugal, fertile and long-lived, and is well adapted to the mountain environment of the Massif Central. [3] It is reported to be resistant to trypanosomiasis, the "sleeping-sickness" transmitted by tsetse flies. [5]

It has a uniformly wheaten coat, ranging from a pale greyish white to a light brown tinged with orange-yellow. [4] : 114  The skin, hooves, muzzle, tongue, switch and natural openings are all black; there is a pale ring round the muzzle. [4] : 114  [3] Bulls may carry darker markings to the coat. [3] The horns are lyre-shaped and tipped with black. Bulls stand about 140 cm at the withers and weigh some 900–1300 kg; cows stand some 125–130 cm and weigh about 600–800 kg. [4] : 114  [3] [5]

Use

The Aubrac was formerly reared as a draught and dairy animal, but is now raised principally for beef. Under certain conditions this can be marketed as Fin Gras du Mézenc. [7] Bullocks weigh about 310 kg when weaned. [3]

Some of the cows are of dairy type, and are milked; they will only give milk if their calf is with them. [4] : 114  Some of the milk is used in the production of Laguiole cheese; it is hoped that this proportion may reach 10%. [8]

References

  1. 1 2 Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN   9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
  2. ↑ Marleen Felius (1995). Cattle Breeds: An Encyclopedia. Doetinchem, Netherlands: Misset. ISBN   9789054390176.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Étude de la race bovine: Aubrac (in French). Bureau des Ressources Génétiques. Archived 6 July 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN   9781780647944.
  5. 1 2 3 Breed data sheet: Aubrac / France (Cattle). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2024.
  6. ↑ Transboundary breed: Aubrac. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2024.
  7. ↑ L'AOP Fin Gras du Mézenc (in French). Chaudeyrolles: Association Fin Gras. Archived 2 October 2023.
  8. ↑ Les vaches de l'Aubrac: La race aubrac (in French). Le syndicat de défense et de promotion du fromage de laguiole A.O.C. - A.O.P. Accessed November 2016.
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