The Aosta Valley Breeders’ Association (AREV)

In the Aosta Valley, livestock farming is still at the heart of mountain life. In 1978 the breeders came together in the Association régionale des éleveurs valdôtains, or AREV. It supports them in their work and protects the local breeds.

The Aosta breed

The valley has its own cows: the red pied, the black pied and the chestnut. They are dual-purpose breeds, giving both milk, used in particular for fontina, and meat. They are suited to the mountains and spend the summer in the high pastures.

The breed’s herd book, the register in which every animal is recorded with its ancestry, is kept by another association, A.N.A.Bo.Ra.Va.

The Viande valdôtaine label

AREV manages the specification for the “Viande valdôtaine” label. Certified meat comes from Aosta breed animals born and raised in the valley and registered in the herd book, so buyers know exactly where it comes from.

Around this label the association has built a network of farmers, slaughterhouses, butchers and restaurants. At the end of 2019 it had 84 members, almost twice as many as a year earlier. It also works with its Swiss neighbours in the Valais, who breed the Hérens cattle, on European Interreg projects.

Events and high pastures

AREV also organises events open to the public:

• the Reina dou Lacë, a show of the best dairy cows, at the Croix-Noire arena in Aosta;
• Alpages ouverts, open days in the high pastures in summer, with the regional agriculture department.

Its technicians also support farmers day to day, for example by checking milking equipment.

For the cow fights, see the article on the batailles de reines, which are run by their own association.

Official website: www.arev.it

Sources: Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley, Chambre valdôtaine, Élevage Vallée d’Aoste magazine (AREV).