Oreillette: Normande Cow, Mascot of the 2024 Paris International Agricultural Show
#OREILLETTE
From February 24 to March 3, 2024, it will be Oreillette, a 5-year-old Normande cow who will be the symbol.
With her three-color dress and her well-designed glasses, Oreillette is a beautiful ambassador of the Normand breed. *Aged 5 and mother of 3 calves, she comes from Briouze, a town located in the Orne department in Normandie. It is at GAEC Foucault, a family farm of 155 hectaresthat Oreillette lives and grazes among a 100% Norman herd of 110 dairy cows and 24 oxen. The milk produced is delivered to the dairy and transformed into Camembert de Normandie and Pont L’évêque AOP, an assurance of know-how and quality. On average, Oreillette's milk production represents 10.5 Camemberts per day of life. She is a worthy descendant of Ramette, her great-grandmother, one of the greatest milk producers of the breed to date.
With her calm temperament and ability to adapt, Oreillette will proudly wear the colors of the Normande breed during the 2024 International Agricultural Show.
The Normande Breed
Recognizable by its 3-color coat (black brindle, tawny blond and quail white), and its glasses around its eyes, the Normande cow is today inseparable from the bocage landscape.
A big grass eater, it moves to the meadows as soon as winter ends, to graze there for most of the year. The Normande cow is a mixed breed that excels both in dairy production and in the valorization of its meat.
These docile, easy-going cows contribute to the peace of mind of their breeders while maintaining respect for the environment and the consumer.
Lucie and François, Oreillette breeders
François and Lucie Foucault, the breeders of Oreillette, is the story of a father and his daughter who share a common passion: the Normande breed. For François, the vocation started at a very young age, with parents who were already breeders of Normandes and an uncle who was passionate about cattle competitions. He took over the family business in 1987, then the transfer followed. He is joined by Didier, his cousin, and spreads the love of Normande cows to his children. “Since I was little, he always took me to the fields, to the farm,” remembers Lucie, 24 years old.
After starting her career at the milking replacement service in Briouze, Lucie was hired at GAEC Foucault in 2020. “My goal is to take over the family farm with Florian (part-time employee) while keeping the same breeding system . ".
Added to the passion for the breed is the passion for competitions: François and Lucie are regulars at the International Agricultural Show, regularly participating in the Concours Général Agricole in the Normande breed. Outside the ring, this year they will be alongside Oreillette, herself a fan of competitions:
“The 2023 National Normande competition is an event that we will not soon forget. In addition to being able to take our cows, they both placed first in the section, including Oreillette.”
After having shone during this event organized in Orne at the Haras du Pin, it is now in the capital that Oreillette meets us, this time as a muse.