Born on January 5, 1962, the Loire union of breeders of the Montbéliarde breed is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary. On February 14, during its general assembly in Valeille, it was a great opportunity to take a leap in time around a collective that has crossed the decades, between images and anecdotes.
“I would like to welcome the presence of the oldest among us. So many people who have worked for the Montbéliarde breed. Today, we wanted to honor the 60th anniversary of the union with a day of conviviality”, introduced Hervé Lornage, president of the association of Montbéliarde breed breeders. And for good reason, the general assembly, against the backdrop of a historic anniversary, had a full house this Tuesday in Valeille, where some 70 participants of all ages had gathered.
After a positive financial report, the time had come for the president to launch the following statutory reports, namely moral and activity reports: “It is difficult not to rejoice in the normality of the past year with the return of all the demonstrations. »
A year full of activities
Julien Schlupp, leader of the union, then reviewed the various events of the past year, in the Loire as outside the department. Starting with the general meeting on March 10 in Saint-Jodard with a statutory morning in the dining room and an afternoon of farm visits (Gaec de la Ferme du Plateau – Durel family). From March 25 to 28, the union took part in the Comice de Feurs by bringing a few cows for the first time: “The organizers wanted to highlight dairy farming”, he explained, joined by his President: “This year, we are again called upon for the Comice de Feurs, but in agreement with our colleagues of the Prim’Holstein breed, we are going to kick in touch, through the many activities that we have. It would have been too difficult for us to honor the request”.
On May 25 and 26, the traditional Montbéliard Prestige was held in Besançon (ten Loire cows from eight herds): “It was a tough competition, where there were no less than 200 cows. And yet, two of our cows made it onto the podium and received a second prize,” explained Julien Schlupp. A month later, 38 Loire cows from eleven herds were presented at the Comice des Quatre Cantons in Chazelles-sur-Lyon.
On July 6, during Génilait in Chalain-le-Comtal, 33 primiparae from 25 different fathers were presented. At the beginning of September, the Ance Viverois Valley Comice, bringing together Loire, Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme, took place in the latter department. 15 Loire cows from four herds were presented, out of the 75 cows exhibited. Organized the following week, the Fête est dans le Pré, in Saint-Genest-Malifaux, brought together 30 cows from ten herds.
A major event in Cournon d’Auvergne, the Breeding Summit, “whose competition is improving in quality year after year”, as Julien Schlupp pointed out, was held on 5 October. 18 cows from 12 herds were presented. In the list of must-sees, the Show open heifers of Saint-Etienne, from November 3 to 5, identified nearly 500 heifers from 26 departments (28 Loire cows for 16 farms). An auction was also held there, with four cows sold. To close the year 2022, a visit to the Gaec des Épilobes, in Sauvain, has been organised.
At the heart of the union since its origins
In the second part of the morning, the time had come to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the union, through a retrospective in images and explanations. Recalling that the collective had been created on January 5, 1962 and supported by the OPAs of the department, Marc Meunier, former technician at the Chamber of Agriculture, gave an anecdote: “The Montbéliarde was no longer recognized as an official breed, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. An engineer had laid down a law according to which it was necessary to rationalize French breeding by eliminating many small breeds. It was necessary to specialize in milk via three breeds, including the Tachetée de l’Est to which the Montbéliarde was attached. »
“The purpose of the syndicate was to promote and encourage the improvement of the breed, specified Hervé Lornage. If until the 1990s, the recognition of Montbéliarde remained a priority, its promotion then became the main objective. Everyone agreed that the breed has gone through many changes over the decades. “Today, we can be satisfied with having a breed combining hardiness and productivity, which represents more than 50% of the dairy animals controlled in the department”, continued the president. Before adding: “The syndicate has also always had the role of uniting the passionate breeders of the department, whatever their affinities, through various outings combining conviviality and technicality. »
Beyond the creation of the union, many significant dates were mentioned and commented on by the personalities present (Michel Poncet, Gérard Odouard, Jean-Paul Poyet, Serge Murat, Gilbert Relave) in order to mark the different stages and developments: first demonstration in the department in Bourg-Argental (1962); first departmental competition in Feurs (1964), which became itinerant with Montbrison to begin with (1973); special competitions in Saint-Etienne (1974) and Colmar (1977); competition in Boën-sur-Lignon marked by drastic organizational changes (1981); Saint-Héand competition, where judgments were made for the first time by farms and no longer by sections; centenary of the breed in Besançon (1989); 30 years of the union (1992); first 1st prize from a union kennel at a national competition in Aix-les-Bains (1995); creation of Génilait (1998), etc.
“I would therefore like to salute the work of my predecessors, such as René Dumas (1984-1991), Gérard Odouard (1991-2005) and Michel Poncet (2005-2015), to name but a few”, concluded Hervé Lornage, with a looking to the future: “This year promises to be very lively: the Paris competition, the National in La Roche-sur-Foron, Montbéliard Prestige, Génilait, the departmental in Saint-Héand and to finish the Sommet de l’Élevage . A great season ahead. »
