The Froment du Léon is an endangered French breed of

dairy cattle Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species '' Bos taurus''. Historically, little distinction was ...

from the coastal region of northern

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

, in the north-west of France. It is named for the historic Viscounty of Léon, in the

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...

s of

Côtes-d'Armor The Côtes-d'Armor (, ; ; br, Aodoù-an-Arvor, ), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord ( br, Aodoù-an-Hanternoz, link=no, ), are a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 600,582.

and

Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.

in the extreme north-west of Brittany. It is valued for the quality of its milk, which is yellow and high in fat, and is particularly suitable for making into butter.

History

In the early years of the twentieth century there were some 35 000 Froment du Léon cattle. A

herd-book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders ...

was opened in 1907. Froment du Léon cows participated in the Concours Général Agricole de Paris between 1914 and 1939. In 1950 the breed population was about 25 000, but fell rapidly thereafter due to competition from other dairy breeds, first the

Normande The Normande is a breed of dairy cattle from the Normandy region of north-west France. It is raised principally for its milk, which is high in fat and suitable for making butter and cheese, but also for its meat, which is marbled and good-fla ...

and later the Friesian. In 1968 there were only 2500 head, and by 1977 no more than 50 cows remained. From about 1960 there was some limited

cross-breeding A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. ''Crossbreeding'', sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to main ...

with Guernsey stock from the United Kingdom and from Canada. A new

breed society Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members of ...

, the Syndicat d'Éleveurs Froment du Léon, was formed in 1981, and a recovery and conservation project was launched following the discovery in 1978 of a small number of surviving animals in the historic region of the Côtes-d'Armor. The Froment du Léon was listed by the

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

as "endangered-maintained" in 2007. By 2010 there were 276 cows in 97 farms. In 2014 the total population was reported to be 314.

Characteristics

The coat of the Froment du Léon is wheat-coloured; there may be some white markings. The muzzle and mucosa are pale. Cows weigh about and stand about at the

withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle a ...

Use

The Froment du Léon is a dairy breed. Milk production is around in a lactation of 305 days. The milk is rich in beta-carotene, which gives it a yellow colour. It has a high fat content, almost 5.5%, which makes it particularly suitable for butter-making.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Froment du Leon Cattle breeds originating in France Cattle breeds