Béarnaise Cattle

Most of this breed of cattle are owned by the 'Conservatoire des Races d'Aquitaine.' The animals are older cattle, bought because of an interest in the breed. They are kept as potential producers of bulls and are either approaching, or past, 20 years of age. A part of this herd used to spend the summer in the Pyrenees, returning to the 'Ferme Conservatoire' only for the winter.

This very special breed is still milked by some mountain farmers. They content themselves with 7 or 8 litres of a milk which is very rich but pale in colour. The cheeses (called 'tomes') made from this milk look similar to the 'tomes' made from sheep or goat's milk (and is in fact often mixed with them).

This is also a very ancient type ofcow and it is interesting to note that it was selected for breeding more for its aesthetic qualities (especially their horns) than for any reasons of productivity.