Sommet de l’Elevage – the French way

Last week, the Sommet de l’Elevage was held in Clermont-Ferrand in central France. Over 88,000 people flocked to the event over the three days to what I can only describe as a mini Ploughing crossed with Tullamore Show.

Livestock is one of the main highlights at the event, with over 2,000 present to compete in their own relative classes.

While numbers are similar to Tullamore Show, the Sommet is done differently, with all animals under cover. This means massive temporary sheds for each of the sectors. For example, in the beef shed alone, there was almost 1,000 animals.

The French way of commercial farming is a lot different to Irish, with the vast majority of commercially-run farms using all pedigree stock. Driving through the countryside, it was almost impossible to see a field of cattle which weren’t all the same breed.

This way of farming means even if breeders aren’t selling on bulls or heifers for breeding, they still follow all the goings-on in the pedigree sector and hence large crowds flooded into the main arena each day to see the shows.

The Limousin breed represented the largest number at the Sommet, with 400 livestock on display. This was mainly down to the French society this year holding their national finals at the event.

Cattle in the breed varied massively, as can be expected with such a large number. However, French breeders seemed to want that taller rangier cow compared with Irish animals which would have more emphasis on width.

The cream still rose to the top, with the upper end capable of standing out anywhere in the world. This is only to be expected, given the Sommet is held in the heart of the Limousin region in France.

Each year, the Sommet de l’Elevage chooses one breed to highlight at the event. Last year, it was the Charolais and this year the Limousin.

This usually consists of a grand auction being held on the Thursday evening of a select few from that breed. There were 24 select lots chosen for the Limousin breed this year. These ranged from 10-month-old heifer calves to senior proven five-year-old bulls.

Buyers from this sale were from all over Europe, with buyers from Switzerland and Portugal in particular securing a number of notable lots.

Topping trade on Thursday evening was a two-year-old bull by the name of Laser. Bred and exhibited by Ramousse Bruno, this bull turned heads when he entered the ring.

Having opened at €3,500, he moved up in €100 bids until he finally settled at the top price of €15,000. Sire behind this bull is Hamac, a bull which topped the grand auction when it was last held for the breed in 2014 and later went on to claim the grand Italian championship in his new home just last year.

A total of eight of the 24 lots forward on the night sold for €10,000 or more.

Next highest after the leader was another two-year-old bull, this time by the name of Latino. This bull was backed with figures and having opened at €6,000, sold for €11,600. Latino is sired by Coluche, a bull that has bred more than 40 sons who have qualified in the high-performance Lanaud station.

The oldest bull forward for the sale met trade of €11,300 and headed across the water to a breeder in Wales. This five-year-old bull went by the name of Hirohito and is sired by Bavardage, a bull also available in Ireland. This proven bull had a selection of calves in the breed lineup over the three days.

Top of the female selection was the November 2015-born Lumiere. She sold for €11,000 and is sired by Idefixand and out of Arnac-bred dam Ethnic.

Hambourg daughter Mangue headed to Portugal at €10,600, while a further three lots traded at €10,000. All lots sold on the night to average €7,520.

What can we learn

The key learning point, and I’ve mentioned this before, is that despite an animal being pedigree, that does not necessarily mean it should go for breeding.

France emphasises this in abundance, with the majority of stock in the country 100% pure, yet only a select few go on to breed, with the rest going for slaughter. This ensures only the best, most-proven bloodlines leave a mark on the breed.

France has a long-standing reputation for producing top-class cattle, which can be seen by the number of breeds which have originated there.

At the show, it was easy to see why, with massive efforts gone in to highlight all that’s good about their cattle breeds.

The way the cattle were displayed for the show in a big arena with cameras everywhere looking out to a large seating platform is definitely something that can be replicated in Ireland.

Number of spectators

Over 1,000 people filled the seats to watch the Limousin championship and this is largely down to the two previous points.

Every farmer has an interest in it, because most farmers are all pedigree. The way the display was undertaken would also draw in any bystanders.

The way winners were announced was terrific. Lights, cameras and music built momentum and excitement before each winner was announced.

Similar to dairy shows, the judge provided reasoning following the winners being announced in each class.

Finally, as I walked through the rows upon rows of cattle at the show, I was again reminded that Ireland’s top end of cattle across all breeds can compete anywhere in the world, even when compared with the best from the breed’s origin country.

What can still be learned by French breeders?

Probably the most noticeable part of the trip was French breeders’ preparation of animals.

Both clipping and grooming skills were a step below the top people here in Ireland. While the cattle generally have less hair than Irish-bred stock due to the heat, there is still a lot that could have been done to make their animal stand out from the crowd.

French breeders only carried a small wooden stick of between 2ft and 3ft, which was just used to tip the head of the animal if it didn’t stop. Not one breeder had a show stick to line up animals.