The Maraichine cattle breed supports breeders and researchers in the Atlantic coastal marshlands

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

AuthorsRoche, B., Farruggia, A., Pousin, M., Riga, P., Chataigner, C., Boutifard, V., Prieur, M., Roux, P., Cooke, A. and Rivero, M. J.
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.

KeywordsLocal breeds; Beef cattle; Rusticity; Wetlands; Short supply chains; Organic farming; Ecological value
Year of Publication2022
JournalRuminants
Journal citation2 (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 accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Natural Environment Research Council
Funder project or codeS2N - 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 statusPublished
Publication dates
Online01 Apr 2022
Publication process dates
Accepted29 Mar 2022
PublisherMDPI
ISSN2673-933X

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