Armorican (known as French Armoricaine) are an endangered
French cattle raised for both milk and meat production. They were developed in
Brittany in the 19th century by cross-breeding local Froment du Léon and the
now-extinct Pie Rouge de Carhaix cattle with imported Shorthorn stock from the
United Kingdom.
Their name Armoricain came into use in 1923, and a herdbook
was started in 1919. In the 1960s, the breed was used with Meuse-Rhine-Issel
and Rotbunt stock, in the creation of the Pie Rouge des Plaines dairy cattle
breed. Currently the breed is pretty rare, and in 2007 the Armorican cattle
breed was listed by the FAO as “critically endangered”. Their total population
was estimated at about 240 head in 2005, and was 263 in 2014. Currently the
breed is mainly distributed in Brittany area of France.
About Armorican Cattle
