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Friday, it is by carpooling that Otter, a cow from Nantes, will leave the country air of Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu, about thirty kilometers from Nantes, to reach the city of Paris.
Once every six years, a representative of this local species has the honor of strolling through the aisles of the Salon de l'agriculture.
The “Nantes” currently has 1,200 females and is one of thirteen breeds with small numbers.
Weighing around 530 kilos, the 2023 muse, who succeeds Déesse (invited in 2017), belongs to the herd of hunters of the Loire-Atlantique Federation.
With its 60 congeners, it maintains the 650 hectares of the Lac de Grand-Lieu Regional Nature Reserve.
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“
It's a mixed breed.
It produces milk and meat
", explains Christophe Sorin, curator of the Reserve and manager of the Grand-Bonhomme farm, about the "nantaise" which is found mainly in Loire-Atlantique, but also in Ille. -et-Vilaine, in Maine-et-Loire and Morbihan.
Endowed with a strong character, these animals are recognizable thanks to their naturally made-up eyes and their black and white horns.
Coats can range from gray to fairly light wheaten.
This cow is called Otter, echoing the otters of the lake of Grand-Lieu (44).
Christopher Sorin
With his son Emilien, the breeder has been preparing Otter for several days for the big trip.
Eight years old, the person concerned has already given birth to three calves and still has ten years ahead of her before leaving for the slaughterhouse.
She was selected by the association of breeders of Nantes cows which brings together more than a hundred.
On site, she will step into the ring four times to be presented to the general public.
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An environmentally conscious cow
While many breeds are down in numbers, "
the 'Nantes' breed is progressing
", rejoices Christophe Sorin.
This breed almost disappeared.
There were only about thirty left in the 1980s, whereas there were almost 150,000 during the first part of the 20th century.
For a long time, it was acclaimed by Nantes farmers for its rich milk and the quality of its meat.
Today, if his milk is mainly used for the little ones, "
the project is to be able to milk it for a transformation into specific cheese
".
Near Rennes, a breeder is already making butter.
In general, development around this sector is accelerating in the Nantes metropolitan area, where some of them sometimes graze in the Mauves meadow.
At the Jules Rieffel agricultural high school, in Saint-Herblain, the creation of a barn is planned: it would be “a
building where the “Nantes” will graze
”.
The objective is also to promote exchanges between breeders, who do a lot of direct sales, and restaurateurs.
The growth of this family is all the more beneficial as it is ecological, emphasizes Christophe Sorin.
On the one hand, "
in the meadows or marsh areas, these cows maintain a rich environment with birds, insects...
", assures the breeder.
On the other hand, “
these environments store carbon.
For a kilo of meat, you store more carbon in the earth than is produced
”.
The ecological footprint is therefore “positive”: you don't have to be vegan to be green!
