Pie Rouge des Plaines
# Pie Rouge des Plaines

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.

## 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 $profitability.^{:75}$

