Bretonne Pie Noir

The Bretonne Pie Noir is a French breed of small dairy cattle from Brittany, in north-western France. It originates from Cornouaille and the Pays de Vannes in the départements of Finistère and Morbihan. Due to its small size, modest requirements, good productivity and ability to exploit poor and marginal terrain, it was well suited to traditional Breton agriculture. A herdbook was established in 1886. The breed was in the past numerous; at the beginning of the twentieth century there were about 500000. Numbers fell drastically during that century, and in 1976, when about 15000 remained, a breed conservation plan was begun, the first such for any breed of cattle.