Tripl'Scotch, what is this new project?

Tripl' for our 3 maternal breeds, and of course, the experimental Tripl'XL origin.
Scotch as a link with Scotland, where our Aberdeen Angus bulls come from.

This project consists in enhancing the value of crossbred animals from Tripl'XL, regardless of sex and breed.

In addition to dairy cows, grassland can also be used for growing and fattening cattle to produce grass-based meat, especially when grazed.

               The farmer can now choose which female will provide the renewal of the herd by using sexed female semen and can produce better conforming calves with the other breeding females by crossing with a beef bull. These animals will provide another type of production, also likely to make good use of the grassland, rather than producing veal calves. This cross could be made with early Anglo-Saxon breeds, known for their aptitude for easy calving but above all well adapted to low-input grassland systems, as they have been selected for their aptitude for grazing and fattening on grass.

               New technical itineraries need to be devised in order to make the most of the potential of these "grassland" animals and the grasslands they consume, while responding to a meat market that is changing rapidly, particularly as a result of the worldwide development of eating habits. Farmers will only develop this production if the technical itineraries are robust, and prove to be relevant in technical and economic terms. The outlets already exist through remunerative channels that only need to be developed in the face of growing demand.

               In this case, we have committed our crossbred animals, via the AGRIAL cooperative, to the "Herbo'Pacte" chain of the SOCOPA group, under the Charal brand. Our colleagues from the UMRH (biomarkers team) are also partners in this project in order to evaluate the multi-performance of crossbred steers and heifers raised on grass and to characterise the trade-offs between growth, feed efficiency and carcass and meat quality. We hypothesise that differences in body composition (and probably nutrient orientation) generate differences in performance and trade-offs. Obtaining these reference data is a prerequisite for proposing adapted management to optimise the expression of the aptitudes of divergent animals through the body composition induced by the type of cross.

               The last partner in this project is Littoral Normand. This breeding consultancy will endeavour to feed our reflections on current practices in the field, but also to make the link between the work carried out at the Institute and its application in Normandy breeders.

                This project is financed by the Seine Normandy Water Agency as part of its call for projects for the development of grassland systems.