Normande is a French dual-purpose breed, kept for milk rich in solids and for beef. It is less well known than the main dairy breeds, and that is a reason to describe a Normande lot carefully when you offer it.
Type and origin
The breed originates in Normandy in north-western France. Animals are spotted brown, red or black and white, often with dark patches around the eyes that give the breed a distinctive look. The cows are medium to large, with milk selected for cheese-making and a carcass that is more fleshy than most dairy breeds.
Typical use
Heifer calves are bought as dairy replacements by farms that want cows with good milk components and decent beef value at the end of their life. Bull calves are suited to fattening and to crossbreeding programmes. In Normandy, many herds run Normande alongside a beef sire, so calves labelled as Normande-cross are also common.
What we buy
We buy Normande and Normande-cross calves for dairy replacement and for rearing. Please give the sex, age, weight and breeding of each group, and tell us if calves come from a herd under milk recording. Terms are agreed per lot. Our weight bands are 52–90 kg for dairy calves and 110–150 kg for starter calves. Weaned or stocker calves (220–350 kg) are bought for beef breeds only, so a weaned dairy-breed lot is not what we are looking for. Put exact weights, ages and ear-tag numbers in your offer.
Where the calves come from
Supply comes from Normandy and neighbouring French regions. Details of how we work with French suppliers are on our France supplier page and in selling French calves to Poland.
Offering a Normande lot
The most useful first message is short and complete: country and region, breed and cross, number of head, sex split, age and weight range, feeding and health history, ear-tag numbers, the documents available and the week you can load. We buy for rearing and finishing farms in Poland, and we start with a trial lot where a new supplier is involved. Payment and trial terms are agreed with each supplier. Read how we buy for price basis, transport and minimum lots, then send your offer through the supplier form or the partner page. You can also write to biuro@eurocieleta.pl or call +48 691 900 728.
Other breeds: Montbéliarde, Holstein Friesian, Jersey, or see all cattle breeds.
Photo: Veau normand.JPG by Eponimm, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
