Aubrac cattle

The Aubrac or Laguiole is a French breed of beef cattle. It originates on the Plateau de l'Aubrac in the Massif Central in central southern France, from which it also takes its name. It has a wheat-coloured coat and dark hooves, switch, muzzle and eyes.

History
The Aubrac is a traditional breed of the Plateau de l'Aubrac in the Massif Central, which spans the modern départements of the Aveyron, the Cantal and the Lozère, in the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Occitanie. In the twenty-first century almost 90% of the breed population is concentrated in that area. A herd-book was started in 1893.

Some limited cross-breeding took place in the twentieth century: with the Mézenc, now extinct, between 1935 and 1945; with the Maraîchine between 1945 and 1955; and with the Parthenaise between 1955 and 1975.

The conservation status of the Aubrac is 'not at risk'. In 2014 the population in France was reported at about $170,000$ head; for 2021 it was over $506,000$. The cattle have been exported to a number of countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas; substantial numbers are reported by Ireland and Lithuania.

Characteristics
The Aubrac is robust, frugal, fertile and long-lived, and is well adapted to the mountain environment of the Massif Central. It is reported to be resistant to trypanosomiasis, the "sleeping-sickness" transmitted by tsetse flies.

It has a uniformly wheaten coat, ranging from a pale greyish white to a light brown tinged with orange-yellow. The skin, hooves, muzzle, tongue, switch and natural openings are all black; there is a pale ring round the muzzle. Bulls may carry darker markings to the coat. The horns are lyre-shaped and tipped with black. Bulls stand about $140 cm$ at the withers and weigh some $900 kg$; cows stand some $125 cm$ and weigh about $600 kg$.

Use
The Aubrac was formerly reared as a draught and dairy animal, but is now raised principally for beef. Under certain conditions this can be marketed as Fin Gras du Mézenc. Bullocks weigh about $310 kg$ when weaned.

Some of the cows are of dairy type, and are milked; they will only give milk if their calf is with them. Some of the milk is used in the production of Laguiole cheese; it is hoped that this proportion may reach 10%.