The action of the Institut de l'Élevage is part of a general mission to bring innovation and knowledge in the field of herbivorous cattle, sheep, goat and horse breeding and its economic sectors.

Its activities, studies, experiments, engineering, consulting, training, aim to :

• improve the competitiveness of farms and the conditions for exercising the profession of stockbreeder
• adapting production and farming systems to society's expectations of food safety, animal welfare and the environment.
• to meet the demands of the sectors on product processing and quality approaches from the producer to the consumer

An action for the rearing of bovine, ovine and caprine herbivores and their chains.

The activity of the Institut de l'Élevage is structured around 6 departments:

• Department "Genetics and Phenotypes": Phenotyping and Data Collection - Genetic Evaluation Methods and Applications - Tools for Population Management. This department is the technical resource of the France Genetic Breeding Interprofession (FGE).
• Livestock Techniques and Environment" Department: Dairy Production - Meat Production - Fodder and Pastoralism - Environment and Buildings.
• Department "Livestock and Product Quality": Meat Quality - Analysis and Product Technology Laboratory - Ruminant Health and Welfare, Dairy Product Quality.
• Economics" Department: Economics of sectors - Economics of livestock farming.
• Department "Breeders' Professions and Society": Livestock work and Social Approaches - Methods and Tools for references and advice - Communication, Marketing and Transfer
• Data and Digital Department: Studies and Computerization Projects - Data Processing - Computers - Sensors, Equipment and Buildings

A partnership policy

The Institut de l'Élevage is the privileged place for professional consultation on research and development policy for herbivore production with :

• professional organisations
• chambers of agriculture
• technical organizations
• economic organisations and the milk, meat and horse interprofessions
• public bodies: INRAE, Ministry of Agriculture, Office de l'élevage and local authorities

The development of programmes is based on the work of the commodity chain committees by species. The Institut de l'Élevage has a scientific council under the chairmanship of a scientific director of the INRAE.

A strong regional anchoring

The regional anchoring of the Institut de l'Élevage is one of its strong points. It is characterized by :

• a highly decentralized location with 13 regional sites and 13 attached offices that bring together nearly two-thirds of the staff. In addition, the Institut de l'Élevage is present in ten or so experimental units or stations throughout the country.working in synergy with regional organisations, particularly in the framework of breeding networks and experimental stations.

An international outlook

Since 2002, the Institut de l'Élevage has continued to open up to the international and European Union markets. Its International Activities department shares the values, culture and know-how of French professional livestock organisations through expertise, engineering, consultancy and training activities led by its experts.
At the community level, the relations developed with our partners have notably resulted in the setting up of several Interreg projects in which the Institut de l'Élevage is a partner or pilot.

Contacts