History of French cattle breeding

The history of French cattle breeding results from intermingling bovine populations from several European offshoots after centuries of breeding and selection practices. The French herd includes crosses with zebus (Bos taurus indicus) in the French overseas departments and territories.
In 2010, the French cattle population numbered 19.3 million head.
Cows in production represented 7.7 million head (4.2 suckling and 3.5 dairy), and milk production in 2005 was 239 million hectolitres.
The domestication of Bos taurus is thought to have occurred in the Fertile Crescent. From then on, cattle accompanied people on their migrations. According to Philippe J. Dubois, the bovine species arrived in Europe via three routes: from the Danube, the shores of the Mediterranean, and North Africa via the Strait of Gibraltar. Studies have not revealed interbreeding between these domesticated cattle and their wild ancestor, the Aurochs.
Some breeds, such as the Camargue and Corsican, may have lived in their territory for long.
Numerous branches have appeared with the great population movements since Antiquity:
From these elements, each region, and even each mountain valley, has selected a breed that corresponds to its needs and the difficulties of its terroir (climate and soil).
Cattle breeding has always had several economic interests: milk supply (formerly destined mainly for cheese and butter production), meat, and leather. In regions where heavy draft horses were unavailable, this function was delegated to work oxen or robust cows (southwest, Massif Central, Alps, etc.).
Selection work began in the abbeys. The monk's work is not lost between generations. The Aubrac and Abondance breeds are of monastic origin.
With the enclosure movement, wealthy British landowners began to take an interest in the profitability of their livestock from the 18th century onwards. Around 1760, Robert Bakewell, a British breeder, began to select cattle, sheep, and horses through inbreeding and feed improvement. He significantly improved the performance of what would become the Longhorn breed. In 1785, the Colling brothers applied the same methods to the future shorthorn. This easy-to-fatten breed was to become a sensation in Europe. In Switzerland, in 1775, the first herd-book was created for the mountain gray breed of the territorial abbey of Einsiedeln.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, farmers paid little attention to their livestock selection as long as they could survive. It was not until the 19th century, under the influence of England, that owners began to select animals to improve their performance. Most of today's cattle breeds were born at this time and result from crossbreeding and genetic research to obtain versatile (working breed, milk, and meat producer) or specialized animals. From the outset, the Shorthorn breed spread rapidly worldwide, particularly in France from 1830 onwards, where it became the benchmark cow for some thirty years.
The introduction of agricultural shows by the Minister of Trade and Agriculture Adolphe Thiers (1833) and breeding competitions (1850) contributed to this improvement in livestock numbers.
Three phenomena took place:
In 1945, France had a food deficit. The political authorities encouraged productivity and the modernization of agriculture. Some envisaged an ideal scheme involving a dairy breed, the French Frisonne Pie Noir, and a beef breed, the Charolais.
This project underwent many adjustments designed to obtain well-adapted regional breeds. The Montbéliarde and Limousin breeds, which are highly efficient in their local environment, are favored. Blondes from the southwest were merged into the new Blonde d'Aquitaine breed, while Mirandaise was absorbed into Gasconne and Armoricaine into Pie Rouge des Plaines. The aim remains to keep a core of highly profitable breeds and to encourage artificial insemination: the less profitable "old breeds" are thus diluted and disappear.
This work of selecting the most productive breeds was quickly recognized abroad. At the same time, cholesterol was discovered to be present in beef. Breeds selected for work under the yoke had a much lower cholesterol level, and the French breeds produced the highest yields.
However, a few grains of sand were to disrupt this well-oiled machine.
Several breeds disappeared during this reorganization of agriculture.
Today, France has a considerable number of breeds. This genetic variability is further accentuated by the fact that almost all European branches are represented.
France is recognized as a major cheese-producing country, and its lean meat breeds are in great demand, leading to the export of breeding stock to every continent. It's worth noting that, for several branches of European breeds, French breeds are the most efficient:
In the European Union, calves under 8 weeks of age can be kept in very small individual cages. The Compassion in World Farming association opposes this practice: "These young calves have already been taken from their mothers at birth, usually at the age of one day, after the first colostrum feedings. Already stressed by maternal separation, they need contact with other calves".