The General Agricultural Competition was first held in 1870 to select and recognise France’s best regional products and breeding animals. It is an age-old event with an eminently cutting-edge mission: to showcase the exceptional biodiversity in French breeding and gastronomy. Each year, more than 30.000 professionals and visitors are exploring the show to find out what’s happening in the sector, meeting with their peers and assisting to the Concours Général Agricole. Under the watchful eye of its famous mascot cow, the International Agricultural Show runs from late February to early March, and is all about coming together – a reunion edition. The 2022 reunion between the French and their Agriculture promises to be intense, according to Jean-Luc Poulain, farmer and President of Ceneca and of the International Agricultural Show. The show focuses on the stronger-than-ever bond between farmers and consumers. With a real desire expressed by exhibitors and visitors alike to be able to enjoy the social side again, declares Valérie le Roy, Director of the International Agricultural Show. The stage is set for the largest trade fair in the agricultural industry, an essential ritual where new encounters, discussions and the sharing of ideas all play their part. Through their cow mascot (Neige), symbolising agriculture, they work on a triptych at each edition of the Show: region, product, person 4-year-old Neige owes her name to 3 symbols: the snow that covers the mountain pastures from November to May. Snow, the emblem of Savoy and the mountains. And the Abondance breed, which is said to be white only where the snow can touch it: on the muzzle, under the belly and on the legs. And yet Neige was born in summer, at an altitude of 1600 metres, on a ski slope, just under the chairlift in the Grand-Bornand resort, on the Maroly mountain pasture to be precise, where she grazes in the good weather. A most unusual birth! Neige was selected to represent the breed and feature on the poster for the 2022 edition of the Show, because she is the perfect illustration of the Abondance breed: a mahogany-red magpie coat, a head with a thick white quiff. Light-coloured horns and red spectacle-shaped markings around the eyes that reduce the sun’s glare and therefore make her perfectly suited to the mountain environment. Although it represents only 1% of the national herd, Abondance is the 4th largest French dairy breed with nearly 60,000 cows. A local breed par excellence, 75% of the herds are located in the two Savoys, with nearly 50% in Haute-Savoie, and 20% in the Massif-Central. Perfectly suited to the mountain regions from which it originates, the Abondance breed is very hardy, is capable of travelling long distances and adapts well to temperature variations. It also contributes to the development of rural areas, particularly in the mountains, and to the reduction of inputs thanks to the manure. Appreciated for its longevity and calving abilities, the breed’s unique qualities have enabled it to settle in the Italian Alps but also beyond Europe: in Egypt, Algeria, the Ivory Coast, and certain mountainous countries. Proof of its adaptability to difficult breeding conditions.

A dairy, mountain-dwelling and rustic breed, the Abondance is involved in the production of 14 cheeses with IGP or PDO appellations such as Abondance, Beaufort, Reblochon and Tome des Bauges. For 2022, the Show chose a theme that is meaningful and, today more than ever, rooted in our reality – “Agriculture: our daily life, your future”. Because the recent crises have revealed a combative agriculture. But also, consumers who are ever more attentive to the quality of their food, who have (re) discovered the essential role of farmers and their daily work. Now, more than ever, the challenge is to build a common future. The theme has a double meaning. First, from the point of view of the farmers, for whom everything that makes up their daily life – their work, their training, their difficulties, their adaptations, and their mission to provide food – serves the future of the French population. A mission that can only be carried out under certain conditions (local, fair price, recognition, etc.). But this also holds true from the point of view of consumers and visitors to the Show who, by purchasing agricultural products, are safeguarding the future of farmers. Consumers want to be in full possession of the facts (traceability, food safety, knowledge of the breeders’ and producers’ professions etc.). Meet livestock farmers, sample numerous varieties of goat’s cheese with a cheese-maker who has been recognised as one of the finest cheese-making craftsmen in France, attend educational and culinary workshops to learn about the various stages involved in producing cheese and different ways of making goat’s cheese… and also play and play to win. The annual General Agricultural Competition serves as a unique launching pad for local products, dairy products and wines, and a showcase for the excellent qualities of French breeding. Candidates participating in the General Agricultural Competition benefit by acquiring more legitimacy within their profession and in the eyes of the general public. It also raises awareness and singles out up-and-coming young professionals who are committed to agriculture. Competitions include prizes for the best wine tasters and best livestock judges for students from agricultural schools.