All the action from the Sommet de l’Elevage show in France

The Sommet de l’Elevage show took place during October in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-RhôneAlpes region of central France. An estimated 95 000 visitors attended the show this year, with more than

70 breeds of cattle, horses and sheep on show.

This year’s guest of honour was Turkey. The country has 34 million sheep, 16 million cattle and 10 million goats, making it a “formidable livestock country”, according to a statement by organisers of the show. With a population of over 80 million, Turkey still needs to import between 500 000 and 700 000 cattle every year to meet consumer demand.

At a media briefing, the president of the Sommet de l’Elevage, Jacques Chazelet, said local farmers were passionate about and dedicated to their jobs. He said Sommet de l’Elevage was adding a second exhibition hall that would be completed by 2021, which “demonstrated the excellence of French farmers”.

This exhibition hall would allow more exhibitors to showcase the breeds they produced, and would also result in the show being extended from three to four days.

Olivier Bianchi, the mayor of Clermont-Ferrand, said the show “highlighted what is going right in livestock production and also what is going wrong”. Bianchi added that the more than 4 500 international visitors from 80 countries attending this year’s event proved that the show was “truly an international event”.

1: There are 3,8 million dairy cows in France, with each cow producing an average of 6 200 ℓ per lactation, according to Simmental France. The Simmental European Championship was held at Sommet de l’Elevage this year. 1

PHOTOS: Janine Ryan 5: There were many farm vehicles and implements on show at Sommet de l’Elevage this year. The Kubota M4072 pictured here was one of a new series of smaller tractors launched earlier this year by the company. 5

2: One of the main equine attractions of the show is the driving competition. Here, two two-year-old Percherons are being judged for turnout, safety, general condition and movement. 2

3: This year, the Salers National Championship was held in the Zenith arena. The Saler is a breed indigenous to the Auvergne-RhôneAlpes region. The Salers Breed International Congress was also held at the show this year, with more than 200 farmers attending the congress, according to a statement by Sommet de l’Elevage. 3

4: There were 550 dairy cows on show and judging competitions were held for Holstein, Jersey, Swiss Brown and Montbéliarde (pictured here) breeds. 4