About Armorican Cattle

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.