View source for Bazadaise

{{Short description|Breed of cattle}}
{{use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{use list-defined references|date=November 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2016}}
{{Infobox cattle breed
| name          = Bazadaise
| native_name   = Grise de Bazas
| image         = Bazadaise.jpg
| image_size    =
| image_alt     = a large grey cow with down-turned horns
| image_caption = 
| status        = [[FAO]] (2007): not at risk{{r|barb|page=143}}
| altname       = Bazadais
| country       = France
| distribution  = [[Aquitaine]], [[Midi-Pyrénées]]{{r|brg}}
| standard      = 
| use           = 
| maleweight    = average 1000 kg{{r|dad}}
| femaleweight  = average 750 kg{{r|dad}}
| maleheight    = average 145 cm{{r|dad}}
| femaleheight  = average 140 cm{{r|dad}}
| skincolour     = black
| coat          = grey
| horn          = horned in both sexes
| subspecies    = taurus
| note          = 
}}

The '''Bazadaise''' or '''Grise de Bazas''' ([[Gascon language|Gascon]]: ''Vasadés'') is a French [[list of cattle breeds|breed]] of [[beef cattle]]. It takes its name from the town of [[Bazas]] in the [[département]] of the [[Gironde]], in the [[Nouvelle-Aquitaine]] region of south-western France, and originates in the low-lying areas to the south of the River [[Garonne]] near that town.{{r|cabi|page=124}} A festival, the Fête des Boeufs Gras, is held each year in Bazas to present fattened Bazadaise stock.

== History ==
{{See also|History of French cattle breeding}}The Bazadaise or Grise de Bazas is a traditional [[draught animal|draught]] breed of the [[Pyrénées]] and the [[Gironde]], in the [[Nouvelle-Aquitaine]] region of south-western France. It is thought to result from [[cross-breeding|inter-breeding]] of local cattle of [[Aquitaine]] with others of Spanish origin. It is named for the town of [[Bazas]] in the Gironde, and is still strongly associated with it: an annual festival, the {{Interlanguage link multi|Fête des Boeufs Gras|fr|3=Promenade des bœufs gras de Bazas}}, is held each year in Bazas to celebrate and present the Bazadaise and its meat, which is heavily [[Marbled meat|marbled]] and renowned for its tenderness and flavour.{{r|marie|page=118|son}}

A [[herd-book]] for the Bazadaise was established on 31 July 1896.{{r|marie|page=118}} The breed was formerly numerous: there were about 60 000 head in 1940. In the years after the [[Second World War]], the [[mechanisation of agriculture]] and more extensive cultivation of [[cereal crops]] in the region both contributed to a rapid decline in numbers. By 1970 only 700 cows remained, and efforts to recover and conserve the breed began. In 2013 there were about 3400 cows, in more than 140 farms.{{r|cabi|page=124}}

The Bazadaise has been exported to Australia, Chile, Spain and the United Kingdom. Exported stock has been both raised [[pure-bred]], and used for [[cross-breeding]].{{r|marie|page=119}}

== Characteristics ==

The Bazadaise is uni-coloured grey, with some variations due to sex and age. The skin is black, the muzzle and mucous areas pale.{{r|marie|page=120}} The horns are incurved and often down-turned;{{r|brg}} they are waxy yellow at the base, black at the tips.{{r|marie|page=120}}

== Use ==

The Bazadaise was traditionally a draught breed, used for tasks such as hauling cut wood from the forest.{{r|marie|page=118}} It is now raised for beef. The meat is heavily [[Marbled meat|marbled]] and is renowned for its tenderness and flavour.{{r|marie|page=118}} It may be marketed under the [[Label Rouge]] denominations "Boeuf de Bazas" and "Boeuf de Chalosse". Carcass yield is high; in bullocks, it is some {{nobreak|63–65%}}.{{r|marie|page=121}}

== References ==

{{reflist|refs=

<ref name=barb>{{cite book |chapter=Annex: Breeds currently recorded in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources |editor-last1=Rischkowsky |editor-first1=Barbara |editor-last2=Pilling |editor-first2=Dafydd |title=The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture |date=2007 |publisher=FAO |location=Rome |isbn=978-92-5-105762-9 |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/435afdb0-3d4d-42b5-9a04-758ff80b89a1 |chapter-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623201209/http://www.fao.org/3/a1250e/annexes/List%20of%20breeds%20documented%20in%20the%20Global%20Databank%20for%20Animal%20Genetic%20Resources/List_breeds.pdf }}</ref>

<ref name=brg>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090308043556/http://www.brg.prd.fr/brg/pages/rga/bovins/7 Étude de la race bovine: Bazadaise] (in French). Bureau des Ressources Génétiques. Archived 8 March 2009.</ref>

<ref name=cabi>Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). [https://books.google.com/books?id=2UEJDAAAQBAJ ''Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding''] (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. {{ISBN|9781780647944}}.</ref>

<ref name=dad>[http://dad.fao.org/cgi-bin/EfabisWeb.cgi?sid=0b1613ebf16355cf65f6a05b9a65fe25,reportsreport8a_50001225 Breed data sheet: Bazadaise/France]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed November 2016.</ref>

<ref name=marie>Marie Dervillé, Stéphane Patin, Laurent Avon (2009). [https://books.google.com/books?id=aoOwsEdtaecC&pg=PA130 ''Races bovines de France: origine, standard, sélection''] (in French). Paris: Éditions France Agricole. {{ISBN|9782855571515}}.</ref>

<ref name=son>[http://www.sondaqui.com/Carnavals/fete-des-boeufs-gras-bazas Fête des bœufs gras] (in French). ''Son d'Aquí''. Région Aquitaine. Accessed November 2016.</ref>

}}

{{Cattle breeds of France}}

[[Category:Cattle breeds originating in France]]
[[Category:Grey cattle]]