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- picture: Rainer Heck
Charolais beef cattle and its cross-breeds are used.
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The Charoluxe program, which was designed especially for the German market, only uses young bulls under 24 months of age, drawing on animals of the Charolais breed as well as its cross-breeds. In addition to milk from the mother animals, the calves are exclusively fed grass and plant-based feed. They remain with their mothers on lush meadows until they are nine months old. “The best feed for a young animal is its mother’s milk and fresh grass”, say beef farmers. Older animals live in spacious, half-open and thus well-aired pens laid out with fresh straw. Their feed comes primarily from the region.
click on the picture (5 pictures) French beef breeders and farmers are always happy to discuss their cattle-raising procedures. Their farms are generally family-owned and not particularly large. Fabien Carritte, for example, has 60 mother cows and 100 young bulls and holds an additional 30 male and female calves respectively. The farmer explains that he produces his own feed as well. During the winter, the animals’ diet is supplemented by sugar beets and silage; soy protein is allowed and also purchased for the animals. The slaughter-ready animals are sent to the slaughterhouse of the Bigard Group in Vitry le François. The beef farmers raise between 100 and 110 animals per year.
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