Brava cattle

 ( Camargue ) 

The Brava or Race de Combat is a French breed of domestic cattle raised in the Camargue, the river delta of the Rhône in southern France. It is bred specifically for bull-fighting, either Spanish-style (on foot) or Portuguese-style (on horseback). It is one of two cattle breeds raised in semi-feral conditions in the Camargue: the other is the Raço di Biòu or Camargue breed, which is not a fighting breed but is used in a bloodless bull-sport, the course camarguaise. The Brava derives from Iberian fighting cattle imported in the nineteenth century, and may also be known as the Espagnole Brava.

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History The first introduction of breeding stock of Iberian fighting bulls to France was an importation to Arles in 1869 by Joseph Yonnet, a breeder; there were no further such imports until 1975. The Brava has long been raised in semi-feral conditions in the wetlands of the Camargue, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and of the Petite Camargue, in the département of Gard in the region of Occitanie. It is one of two cattle breeds raised in the area, the other being the Raço di Biòu or Camargue breed, which is not a bull-fighting breed. Both are associated with the rural and cultural traditions of the Camargue, including the , mounted herders who manage the livestock in , and the small white Camargue horse horses they ride. A breed society for the Brava was established in 1920.

In 1996, beef from the two breeds of the Camargue, or from between them, received Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée status as "Taureau de Camargue". A herd-book for the Brava was established in the same year.

The population in 2004 was estimated at . In 2014 it was reported to be .

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Characteristics The Brava is variable in colour, but is most often uniformly black. The mucous membranes are dark. The horns are large and forward-pointing; they are creamy grey at the base, and dark at the tips.

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Use and management The Brava is bred principally for the bull-ring. Approximately 10% of the animals raised are found suitable for this purpose; the remainder are butchered for meat.

The meat of the Brava (along with that of the Raço di Biòu and crosses between the two) can – under strict conditions of pasturage and of zone and methods of production – be marketed with the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée certification of origin as "Taureau de Camargue"; animals that have appeared in the bull-ring are excluded.

The meat may be subject to dark cutting – discolouration caused by stress in the animal before death – which disrupts the normal post-mortem transformation of muscle tissue to meat; this can reduce the market value of the product.

The cattle are commonly managed extensively in the wetlands of the Camargue. They are kept in manades, and herded by mounted .

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A.O.C. Viande "Taureau de Camargue" (in French). Parc naturel régional de Camargue. Archived 26 December 2004.

Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. . Archived 23 June 2020.

Étude de la race bovine: Raço di Bioù (in French). Bureau des Ressources Génétiques. Archived 7 June 2007.

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Marie Dervillé, Stéphane Patin, Laurent Avon (2009). Races bovines de France: origine, standard, sélection (in French). Paris: Éditions France Agricole. .

Les traditions camarguaises (in French). Lunel: Office de Tourisme Communauté de Communes du Pays de Lunel. Archived 22 March 2012.

Race bovine de combat (in French). Parc naturel régional de Camargue. Accessed November 2016.

Philippe Marchenay, Laurence Bérard (2016). Les produits de terroir: Entres cultures et règlements (in French). CNRS Éditions via OpenEdition. .

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