France is one of Europe's major cattle exporters – each year, over 1.3m head are exported to European markets such as Italy, Spain and Greece and other international markets including Algeria and Turkey.

The country’s export network is made up primarily by private companies (livestock traders) or co-operative farmer organisations.

One such example of a co-operative exporter is the Celia group, located in the south of the Massif Central region in the centre of France, namely the Laguiole and Rodez departments.

Celia, which stands for ‘la Cooperative d’Elevage Interregionale Alliante’ or the Interdepartmental Suckler Livestock Cooperative in English, has over 2,250 farmer members.

Its aim is to create the best possible opportunity for members to obtain the best value for their products. It does this by two ways; official quality schemes and by creating added value for all stock – not just prime animals.

Italy

Celia is responsible for exporting over 70,000 cattle annually; including around 40,000 stores and 10,000 cull cows and heifers.

Stores are primarily exported to Italy, while a third of the finished cattle are sold through the company’s own slaughtering network.

Celia has five main export centres in the region, including one located in Laguioloe which the Irish Farmers Journal visited.

Shipping out

On the day, a consignment of store bulls were being prepared for shipment to Italy, a journey which takes approximately seven hours. . These stores, which in Ireland would be called weanlings, were mainly of an Aubrac X Charolais breed and weighed between 320kg to 420kg at 10 to 11 months of age. It was explained that these bulls had been on supplementation feed. They were valued at €2.70/kg.

For more on this centre and the rest of the French beef industry, keep up to date with the Irish Farmers Journal in print and online.