DESCRIPTION

Its silhouette is fine, planted on very solid legs. It has a "pretty face": white head, thick white bun, light and long horns, mahogany halo around the eyes (we speak of its "glasses") and on the ears, pink mucous membranes. Its belly is usually white and its dress uniformly mahogany red. It is a star of mountain hikes !

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HABITAT

It is the village of Abondance, in the heart of the Northern Alps, in the Upper Chablais valley in Haute-Savoie, which is at the origin of the name of the breed. It is part of the alpine herd which, at more than 2000 meters of altitude, contributes to the maintenance of grasslands of the European mountains. The Alps (including Italy and Switzerland) include 65,000 individuals. This peculiarity must him to wear the most beautiful and the biggest bells of the world. It is part of the alpine herd which contributes to the maintenance of grasslands. Beyond our borders, Abundance is highly appreciated because it is an alternative to the specialized dairy model, emphasizing its characteristics as a rustic dairy cow. Significant export programs are underway, in Egypt for crosses with the local breed, Baladi, and in mountainous countries with difficult climatic conditions such as Vietnam, Iran and Yemen. The first weekend of October is the competition of Abondance cow in Flumet in Savoie.

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WAY OF LIFE

The Abondance breed is the most widespread in Haute-Savoie (there is also the Tarine). It is very adapted to difficult regions. It is very enduring and adapts well to temperature variations. This cow produces between 3500 and 6000 kg of milk a year. Thanks to its high protein milk, it is famous for being a good cheese maker. If you listen to the ringing of bells on the meadow, you will hear that each one has a different sound, bass or treble. This allows the shepherd to recognize each of his beasts. The breed is especially developed for the cheese quality of its milk (3 AOC appellations of origin, abundance, Beaufort and Reblochon which gave birth to a typical Savoyard recipe: the tartiflette). It is also used for its calving ability in crosses with other cattle breeds. Thanks to its high-protein milk, which it produces at a rate of 5800 kg per year, it is famous for being a very good cheese maker. In winter, Abundance is kept in the barn stall locked for 6 months, because of the harsh climate and snow. In the summer, it rises in mountain pastures with rugged and steep terrain, between 500 and 2,500 meters above sea level. Abondance cattle are known for their longevity due to a low rate of reform for accidents or infertility, as well as good resistance to parasitic and ophthalmic diseases.

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FOOD

The cows arrive in a field in the sun, they graze grass and sometimes clover. But clover is not good for cows because it gives them gas in the stomach and they can not lie on their stomachs anymore. A cow can drink 110 liters of water and swallow 80 kg of grass in a day.

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BREEDING

A cow can breed around 15/16 months and there is no breeding season, the heat returning every month (so it can calve all year). Around the age of 18 months, the heifer can be brought into contact with the bull. One or two bulls are sufficient for breeding the herd. However, since the 1960s, breeders have resorted more and more to artificial insemination. And today, many bulls selected for breeding quality are raised in specialized centers. Without mating, the cow receives at the ideal moment - towards the second half of the heat season - the seed of the bull selected by the breeder. Insemination is performed using a long syringe. Thanks to this technique, a single bull can have more than 100,000 descendants to kilometers of distance ... Due to their musculature always increased, the cows have difficulty to give birth in a natural way. As a result, Caesarean section is used more and more frequently (90% for the Blanc-Bleu breed). This intervention, performed by a veterinarian, consists of opening the cow's right side to extract the calf. If the cows have calves, they take care of them a little so that they will suckle right after the birth but afterwards it will separate because the farmer is going to milk the cow. The calf drinks milk in a bucket with a pacifier without his mother and soon after, the cow forgets his calf and gets used to go with other cows for milking. The difference between dairy cows (such as Abundance) and meat cows is that the dairy cow does not keep his calf: it is removed after 2 hours to continue to take his milk. A lactation period is limited to about 300 days per year from calving. This implies that for two months, the cow has no milk. The dairy cow can give 40 liters of milk a day while the meatmaker gives ten liters.

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THREAT

Since 1985, thousands of animals had to be slaughtered because of a mysterious brain disease, BSE, better known as "mad cow disease". The probable cause of this epidemic is the addition of mutton meal to cattle, flour containing sheep brains affected by this disease. The symptoms of this infection, tremors, motor difficulties and aggression, are very long to appear (about three years), and it is extremely difficult to spot infected animals in time. In addition, it is increasingly likely that calves may be infected by their mothers. Although measures have been taken to eliminate the risk of transmission of this disease, the death of cats and zoo animals fed with milk and meat from infected cattle has been reported. Creutzfeld-Jacob disease has disturbing similarities in humans with this bovine infection. Ongoing research has not yet measured the degree of danger to consumers of beef. However, Abundance is far from being endangered ... "Any man who does not believe in the protection of the cow, is not a real Hindu", said Mahatma Gandhi who added: "In her lies the divine order ". The Hindus believe that it is the embodiment of all the gods of the pantheon, which is why the murder of a cow is as serious as that of a Brahman. Most revered God, Krishna, still called "the master of the cows with the flute", was raised among the dairy women. In southern India, ceremonies and temples are dedicated to them. The Hindu devotees still refer to the cow under the name of Go, arising from the primordial sea of ​​milk. As the rescuer of the Earth, Vishnu will be called Govinda, that is, cowherd. With 185 million head, India has 15% of the world's cattle population; only a few thousand animals end up in the butchery. The others live a peaceful life in the city or in the countryside, guaranteed to end their days on municipal pastures or in "retirement homes for goddesses"

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