A - Papers appearing in refereed journals
Roche, B., Farruggia, A., Pousin, M., Riga, P., Chataigner, C., Boutifard, V., Prieur, M., Roux, P., Cooke, A. and Rivero, M. J. 2022. The Maraichine cattle breed supports breeders and researchers in the Atlantic coastal marshlands. Ruminants. 2 (2), pp. 173-187. https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants2020011
Authors | Roche, B., Farruggia, A., Pousin, M., Riga, P., Chataigner, C., Boutifard, V., Prieur, M., Roux, P., Cooke, A. and Rivero, M. J. |
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Abstract | The Maraichine breed of cattle originates from the Loire region of France and has been under a conservation programme since 1986. This programme links the conservation of the breed with the conservation of its traditional environment of wet grasslands. In this case report, we describe the different steps of this programme, each of which had its own successes and challenges. We also describe how, throughout this process, researchers have been involved in the generation and dissemination of information covering areas such as stakeholder perspectives, animal perfor-mance and socio-economics. Under the conservation programme, the Maraichine population has expanded in both size and scale. Simultaneously, stakeholder perspectives have also developed, continually shifting the balance between productivity, conservation, and maintenance of heritage traits. The conservation programme also provided the opportunity to utilise the breed's desirable traits such as easy calving and disease resistance. Whilst carcasses are not necessarily as valuable as those of other breeds, farmers have implemented novel economic practices to capitalise on market opportunities. Today, Maraichine cattle and Maraichine breeders offer researchers the opportunity to deepen and enrich our knowledge on sustainable ruminant livestock farming systems. |
Keywords | Local breeds; Beef cattle; Rusticity; Wetlands; Short supply chains; Organic farming; Ecological value |
Year of Publication | 2022 |
Journal | Ruminants |
Journal citation | 2 (2), pp. 173-187 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants2020011 |
Web address (URL) | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-933X/2/2/11 |
Open access | Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access |
Funder | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council |
Natural Environment Research Council | |
Funder project or code | S2N - Soil to Nutrition - Work package 2 (WP2) - Adaptive management systems for improved efficiency and nutritional quality |
ASSIST - Achieving Sustainable Agricultural Systems | |
Publisher's version | |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 01 Apr 2022 |
Publication process dates | |
Accepted | 29 Mar 2022 |
Publisher | MDPI |
ISSN | 2673-933X |
Permalink - https://repository.rothamsted.ac.uk/item/9883w/the-maraichine-cattle-breed-supports-breeders-and-researchers-in-the-atlantic-coastal-marshlands