The Pyrenean Goat

Our surrounding biological heritage is gravely affected by a persistent decrease in variety. Worse still species, be they animal or plant have already disappeared, others are doomed, while others yet are gathering their last resources in the fight for survival. Up to now science has essentially assisted the agro-food industry in the quest for increased yields, while often neglecting the vast majority of our cultivated crops, as well as certain reared animals The various types of “patents”, “licences”, etc., being sources of revenue, are closely associated with this phenomenon. Today is not a fact that one unique variety of rice accounts for 80% of world production ?!

For very little the Dutch Flanders bovine breed, the “Holstein” black Piebald, on its own would have knocked out our brave “Vosgiens” together with a number of other local breeds, if care hadn’t been taken at the end of the nineteenth century ! Fortunately today it can be seen that the “Mirandaise”, meat-providing cattle, have recovered their natural place in their Gascogne birthplace …

Our profession has every reason to be delighted at a rebirth of the “Pyrenean” goat breed.

With a little luck we will be able to restore it with enough capital to revive the ten or so known stocks, and thus replace the Swiss “Saanen” and other “Alpine” ones transplanted in the nineteenth century to our countryside. It is a recognised fact that our regional breed represents an impeccable rurality : they have either plain long or assorted-coloured hair, with a predominance of plain black and well-anchored horns, which long ago developed their various qualities. Its main role was to accompany, in small numbers, the huge flocks of ewes going to pass the summer to provide precious milk to the shepherds, as the animals were gestating during this warm period. Others were roaming the towns of France providing precious milk to the inhabitants, often with their Béarn goatherds, always ready to oblige, milking their beasts directly in the streets in front the housewives ; thus a total of 1500 “Pyrenean” goats were counted in the streets of Paris in 1900 !

* "Les petits métiers parisiens : le Chevrier" (Coll. JN Passal). Milking is done on the spot in front of the customer

Other ewes fed their kids naturally for 3 months, then went on to produce abundant milk for the manufacture of Tome cheeses, all being as different as there are valleys.

This then is a happy rebirth. Our beautiful region is participating in this renewal and cheese making. We are proud to be able to provide these cheeses, the fruit of the work of the unique local goat breed.

This is thus a beautiful heart-warming story, verifying our universe’s entrenched law of the pendulum : excesses are succeeded by scarcities, rareness engenders a vital power of regeneration. In short, our life is made up of jolts, flows and reflows, joy and pain !

This why we think that the “Cheese Spirit” emerges uplifted.

(Xavier’s editorial, Sept. 2009)

Some information

The Pyrenean goat is an indigenous breed, with long hair, often black, calm, resistant and perfectly adapted to the mountain ; she traditionally populates the entire chain from the High Conflent to the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. She was reputed for her rich milk and the milk-producing propensities of certain of her stocks.

The Pyrenean goat population passed from 70 000 in 1852 to 50 000 in 1957, and virtually disintegrated over the last 50 years. Following the exodus from the countryside, elimination of goats from forest zones and the competition between selected breeds (Alpine, Saanen), the Pyrenean goat was considered to have more or less disappeared. Subsequently different actions initiated by regional Conservatories at the beginning of the 1990s, led some stock breeders to create an association dedicated to saving the breed ; today, 2 800 goats and 225 rams are to be found in 185 stock farms.

The Pyrenean goat breed is extremely tough, perfectly adapted to mountainous terrains. They are used to bumpy, uneven and difficult conditions, they help in maintaining and participate in the enhancing and saving of theses spaces, while generating very diversified quality products (for example, kids sold at Eastertide or flock movements in summer, milky farm cheeses or pure or mixed Pyrenean Tomes)

The interest in specifically preserving this Pyrenean Goat breed is therefore multiple : socio-economic : kid and milk/cheese production, exploitation and diversification ; environmental : upkeep of marginal zones threatened by lying fallow, biodiversity ;cultural : this is a breed with strong heritage characteristics.

In 2004, the breeders expressed a wish to structure into an association, and “La Chèvre de race pyrénéenne (The Pyrenean goat breed) was therefore created with the ambition of safeguarding and developing the breed with its heritage characteristics ; advancing the Pyrenean Goat breed as a mountain support for sustainable development, so as to ensure its preservation and an optimum economic enhancement of this heritage.

With all our best wishes and support, we hail this brilliant and courageous initiative. Once again bravo, and our sincere thanks !

More : website of the association ’La Chèvre de Race Pyrénéenne’