Agricultural Show 2022: Neige the star of the show and nearly 4,000 animals are at the rendezvous

Last year, the International Agricultural Show could not take place due to the health crisis. But for this edition, visitors are at the rendezvous, in number, Porte de Versailles, in Paris.

Many visitors came to see Neige, the face of this 58th edition of the International Agricultural Show. Neige, a 4-year-old Abondance dairy cow, is waiting for you in hall 1, animal pavilion; it is wonder for children.

The International Agricultural Show affirms its role as a place of meetings, exchanges and innovation. It deliberately places its 2022 edition under the sign of reunions, pleasure and sharing.

The star of this reunion edition, after the Covid-19 pandemic, escaped the traditional truck marathon at the Hall of Cattle. After a long journey from her village of Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie), she was quietly waiting for all the curious in her box.

She arrived as a star and her mahogany glasses did not hide her from the cameras. Neige, muse cow of the agricultural show, has taken up residence. With her mahogany-red coat, the thick white bun on her head, her light horns and the red spots in the shape of glasses around her eyes, this cow has all the characteristic traits of Abundance.

Neige is no exception to the rule, even if it was born in the middle of summer, on a ski slope at an altitude of 1,600 meters. Bred by Philippe Missillier, she was born just under a chairlift in the Grand-Bornand resort. Birthplace of Reblochon, this Haute-Savoie village has one cow per inhabitant.

Snow’s milk, like that of the other cows in his herd, is thus fully transformed into cheese, mainly Reblochon, Tomme and Raclette. Known as a mountain and rustic breed, the breed gives up to 35 liters of milk per day, it is associated with 14 cheeses under IGP or AOP designations. These include Abondance, Beaufort, Reblochon and Tome des Bauges.

Neige comes from a particularly local breed: 75% of the herds are located in the two Savoies, including nearly 50% in Haute-Savoie, and 20% in the Massif Central.
Like its congeners, Neige is very enduring, able to move over long distances and adapt to temperature variations.

The Abondance breed has also established itself elsewhere than in France, in the Italian Alps, in particular, but also outside Europe: in Egypt, Algeria or even in the Ivory Coast, for its longevity and its aptitudes for calving.

How to get to the show?

To go to the Salon de l’Agriculture, you will have to pay a full price ticket of 15 euros, against 8 euros for children from 6 to 10 years old (free below this age). If this is the « reunion » edition, the success of the event rests « on its ability to offer a moment of meeting and sharing in compliance with health instructions », specify the organizers of the event. .

Among the health measures applied, the compulsory vaccination pass (or health pass for 12-15 year olds), « optimized ventilation of the pavilions » and « Covid referents by area of ​​the show ». On the other hand, the wearing of the mask has been lifted since Monday February 28, 2022, since it is an enclosed place subject to the vaccination pass, in accordance with the easing of health restrictions wanted by the government.

The must is the educational farm where you can find all the farmyard animals: rabbits, chickens and goats await visitors in pavilion 4, entrance through door D. You will also find in the hall 1 of sheep, calves, bulls and pigs through gates L and V. For dog and cat lovers, go to Pavilion 2.1. Those who prefer horses, donkeys and ponies, they await you at Pavilion 6.

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Gabriel MIHAI

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