Who is Fine?
#Fine, Bretonne Pie-Noir, mascot of # SIA2017
Born in March 2010 at the 7 Chemins farm in Pléssé, Fine is the proud descendant of Akénaton and Capucine, worthy representatives of the Bretonne Pie-Noir breed. Discreet, determined, proud, and a leader with a healthy appetite, her breeder Cédric Briand defines her, totally objectively, as an "Extraordinary beast".
With her beautiful black and white spotted coat and black mucous membranes, her proud appearance matches her character as a leader perfectly. She gives her milk twice a day and calves each year.
Cédric Briand, who bred #Fine
The son of dairy farmers, this has been Cédric Briand's world since his childhood. Originally an activity leader for the agrotourism site “Terre de lait”, which welcomes schoolchildren and visitors all year round, Cédric naturally came into contact with breeders of local breeds including the famous Bretonne Pie-Noir. Their discussions gradually fuelled the desire to set himself up as a breeder, guided by his values and his plans to promote biodiversity in short circuits and to preserve the environment.
It is with this mindset that the Bretonne Pie-Noir seemed a natural choice for Cédric, as it appeared to him THE ideal cow to help realise his aspirations. It is a hardy and rustic cow that produces a very rich and "cheeseable" milk, and is satisfied with a natural diet based on grass and hay. It is a mixed breed, whose milk and meat is processed into fine, quality and very traditional products, directly linked to the Breton terroir.
"Our animals are calm, healthy and happy to be on our farm... The relationship between the farmer and the cow is why we love the profession because we get to spend all this time getting the best out of the cows! Fine is the perfect example!" Cedric Briand
Bretonne Pie-Noir, "a natural cow, a cow for happy farmers"
The Bretonne Pie-Noir is a small, rustic and local cow. The breed was born in Brittany, more precisely between southern Finistère and Morbihan, in the 19th century. Very much appreciated for the richness and quality of its milk, the delicacy of its meat and its excellent breeding qualities, the breed has gradually spread throughout the West of France and even beyond. It is called "pie noir" (black magpie) because of its black and white coat, often with a white "scarf" and "belt".
The men and women who raise them with passion like to say that they are "happy farmers"; farmers who are fully-fledged stakeholders in the country whose soil they work, and happy because the choice of this breed is closely related to that of their desired lifestyle.
The Bretonne Pie-Noir is the smallest breed of cow in France, but also one of the most rustic and easy to raise; it is economical and self-sufficient from all points of view.