The origin of Blonde d'Aquitaine cattle dates back to the sixth century in the South-West of France.  At this time, invaders entered France from central Europe.   They used cattle they found locally to draw their carts and as a source of meat.   These "Bos Aquitaine", as they were called, were chosen as draft animals because of their muscle development, hardiness and docile temperament.

The Blonde d'Aquitaine breed, as we know it today, developed as a result of the progressive fusion of several strains of these "Bos Aquaitaine" such as the Garonnais of the plain, the Garconnais of the hills later known as the "Le Quercy" and the Blonde des Pyrenees breed.  The Garonnais breed predominated and is the basic origin of the Blonde d'Aquitaine breed.

The Garonnais (with wheat coloured hair, pink coloured nostrils and horns) were well suited to meat production.  So much so, that during the eighteenth century, they were know as "good cows that fed Paris".

In very early competition in Paissy, Garonnais animals were classed ahead of other French breeds, averaging 2593 lbs. live weight yielding 66.51%, compared to Charolais at 2167 lbs. yielding 65.34% and 2112 lbs. with 34.61% yield for Limousins.

The Garonnais Herd Book was established in 1898. However, it was not until the end of the Second World war, and the onset of the mechanization in agriculture that those responsible for the Herd Book focused breed selection on meat production.

It was the extensive documentation provided in the Garonnais Herd Book which led to the Blonde d'Aquitaine breed being officially recognized in France in 1963.

The transition of the Blonde d'Aquitaine cattle from their origins as predominantly working animals to a meat producing animals was intensified with both the introduction of extensive use of artificial insemination, and the introduction performance recording of beef cattle in 1959.

This, together with better coordinated breed improvement programs within the framework of the Blonde d'Aquitaine Herd Book, led to the broader commercialization of high quality breeding stock in France, and later abroad.

To achieve the focus on quality, the French Herd Book is divided into three categories based on performance.  'Book B' is for average or below average animals, 'Book A' is for above average, and the 'Elite Book' is reserve for animals which meet the following conditions: excellent confirmation score, above breed average growth rate, short calving interval, milking capacity, growth rate of first three progeny equal to or above breed average.

It was in 1971 that France allowed Blonde d'Aquitaines, now the third largest breed in that country, to be exported.  Two bulls were exported to Canada ("Fantome to the Fouillards in Manitoba, and Flon Flon to Tony Roman in Ontario") and 20,000 vials of semen were shipped to the United States.

Blonde d'Aquitaine are increasingly being used for cross breeding with a variety of other breeds.  Tests conducted in France by Artificial Insemination Center have shown the superiority of the breed for growth rate.

High daily gain is one of the outstanding features of the breed.   The growth rate of Blonde d'Aquitaine cattle matches or often surpasses that of other high growth rate breeds, and this, under a variety of management systems.

Most importantly too, high dressing ratios and the quality of meat means Blonde d'Aquitaine cattle crosses command premium prices at slaughter.

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