Parthenaise

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Parthenaise
FAO (2007): not at risk[1]: 136 
Country of originFrance
StandardOrganisme de Sélection de la race Parthenaise
Use
  • formerly triple-purpose: draught, meat and milk
  • now: meat
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    1100 kg[2]
  • Female:
    800 kg[2]
Height
  • Male:
    155 cm[2]
  • Female:
    145 cm[2]
Skin colourblack
Coatwheaten
Horn statushorned in both sexes
  • Bos (primigenius) taurus
    • Salon international de l'agriculture
    in Paris in 2014
    Head of a cow, showing the white round the eyes and muzzle

    The Parthenaise is a French

    draught work, but is now raised mainly for beef.[3][4][5]

    History

    The Parthenaise forms a part of the large population – sometimes called Poitevine or Vendéenne – of wheaten-coloured cattle which traditionally occupied the western part of France, from the

    draught work in Haut-Poitou [fr], in the Saintonge, in Touraine and in the Vendée. The cattle were sometimes called Gâtinaises or Boeufs de Gâtine, so named for the Gâtine Vendéenne. At the end of their working lives, these oxen were often sent to the area of Cholet to be fattened for slaughter, and then were known as 'Choletaises'.[7][2]

    The name of the breed is due to

    département of Deux-Sèvres, as the principal centre of production.[7] In the second half of the nineteenth century many vineyards were destroyed by phylloxera and uprooted; the land was turned to pasture. A number of dairy co-operatives were formed, and the Parthenaise was used to produce a local type of butter, the Beurre Charentes-Poitou [fr], which quickly became well-known.[7] By the late nineteenth century the stock numbered some 1.1 million head.[6]
    : 267 

    A

    bovine tuberculosis.[7] By the 1960s it had become clear that the dual-purpose aim for the breed was no longer viable, and in 1971 the decision was taken to select for beef production only. Since that time the population has grown consistently: the number of breeding cows rose from 7000 in 1990 to 33000 in 2008.[7] In 2014 the total breed population was reported at 43187.[3]

    In 2000 it was decided that the criterion for distinguishing the modern Parthenaise from the more traditional Maraîchine – which also descends from the old Vendéenne grouping – would be the bulls used for reproduction: offspring of bulls born later than Joli-Coeur (born in 1974) would be considered Parthenaises, while offspring of older bulls, of which stocks of semen were still held, could be considered Maraîchines. A genetic study in 2004 found Joli-Coeur and all approved Parthenais bulls born after him to be

    heterozygous or homozygous recessive. The Maraîchine thus represents a traditional form of the Parthenaise.[7]

    Some cattle have been exported to Belgium, to Ireland, to the Netherlands and to the United Kingdom.[8]

    Characteristics

    The coat ranges in colour from light to dark wheaten,

    mucosa, the hooves, the switch and the edges of the ears. The horns are lyre-shaped.[2]

    Use

    Parthenaise entrecôte

    The Parthenise was traditionally a triple-purpose breed, reared for

    milk and for meat. From 1971 selection was for beef only. Calves reach an average weight of 165 kg at 120 days, and average about 278 kg at 210 days.[6]
    : 267 

    References

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Parthenais cattle.
    1. ISBN 9789251057629
      . Archived 23 June 2020.
    2. ^ a b c d e f Étude de la race bovine: Parthenaise (in French). Bureau des Ressources Génétiques. Archived 1 April 2009.
    3. ^ a b Breed data sheet: Parthenaise / France (Cattle). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2024.
    4. ISBN 9782855571515
      .
    5. ISBN 9782914622103
      .
    6. ^
      ISBN 9781780647944
      .
    7. ^ a b c d e f g h Laurent Avon (2009). La race bovine Parthenaise (in French). Institut de l'Elevage. Archived 6 August 2020.
    8. ^ Transboundary breed: Parthenais. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed February 2024.


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