France: a leader in terms of ruminant genetics

A significant player in genetic exportation

©Gènes Diffusion

The French genetic selection and improvement system allows one to obtain ranges of very high quality parents with exemplary health quality, available for the international market.

The choice of races, combined with the variety of results following tests of the reproducers, allows any breeder to find the genetics that correspond to his needs, amongst various products: heifers, bulls, semen, embryos.

• France sells up to 50,000 reproductive bovines each year, more than 2 million doses of semen and several thousand embryos.
• In 2006, it exported bovine sperm to 63 countries, including 42 third countries. Sales in these latter countries are growing each year.
• Sales of exported French genetics have nearly reached 10 million euros.

A large selection of races, regarded as being some of the world's best

©Christophe MAITRE / INRA

With 30 bovine races, 30 ovine races and 10 caprine races, French breeding is of exceptional diversity.

• 4.2 million meat cows, representing the number one meat cow livestock in Europe
• 3.8 million mixed or specialised dairy cows
• 6 million sheep adaptable to various environments
• and 850,000 goats from dairy races.

Internationally renowned races, and races that are well suited for the sometimes difficult forage fields and climates found throughout the world, all of them in high demand abroad.

• A bovine example: the Prim’Holstein, the Charolaise and the Limousine are used in over 80 countries; 39 countries import heifers or Montbéliarde doses; the Blonde of Aquitaine is used pure or for cross-breeding in more than 25 countries in the world, as well as the Norman, most notably in South America.

France is the number 1 producer of bovine meat and the number 2 producer of cow milk in the European Union (1.5 million tons in carcass equivalence and 22.3 billion litres of milk produced in 2007). It also exports 1.4 million live bovines and 765,000 live ovines. These numbers testify as to the performance and quality of French genetics and races.

Increasingly powerful animals

©Gènes Diffusion

Thanks to a balanced choice of selection objectives, genetic progress brought about by French programmes is the primary contributor to the improved productivity of breeding farms: cost control, improved production, longer lifespan of the cows without any technique enhancement.

• The average individual production by dairy cows has more than tripled since 1950. The annual genetic progress of the 3 main races is from 70 to 110 kg per lactation.
• Regarding meat bovines, the average gain in live weight after weaning is of approximately 1 kg per year.

Want more details regarding the results and performances of French selection programmes? Download the following pdf:

• The key figures of the French genetic efforts (2007), FR ou EN version.

The excellence results procured by French genetics are confirmed each year internationally:

• On a regular basis, the best French inseminating males are chosen as fathers in the selection programmes of numerous countries.
• French animals are always referenced in the rankings that are published by Interbull (reference centre in charge of harmonising the genetic evaluation of bovines on a worldwide basis). During the international evaluation of 2006, 37% of Holstein bulls with more than 150 ISU (reference index for dairy bovines) points were French, representing the majority of them.

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