Plucked poultry arranged on a white linen, at the headquarters of the Normandy region, in the Abbaye aux Dames in Caen. Inspired by the famous poultry competitions of Bresse, Normandy organized its second competition of this kind on December 17, 2024. Farm guinea fowl, black turkey, chickens, capons… A real festive menu. And among the winners, a breeder from Calvados: Éric Desprez, based in Bavent (east of Caen), at the Terres Rouges estate. He presented three Norman free-range white chickens.
For those who speak of outdated competitions, Pascale Desprez, her partner, speaks of “a reward for the work accomplished by the team. Customers only resell gold medal-winning products, this is a guarantee of quality. For example, a wholesaler with whom we had been talking for months just called us back after learning about the medal.”
Not insignificant for these professionals who have launched into poultry this year, marketed since April. The fruit of “a three-year project”, at the heart of this 20 hectare estate where they have been producing cider, pommeau, Calvados and other apple juice for eight years (the family has another, smaller site, in Honfleur, with other fruit trees and sheep).
In a context of agricultural crisis, they started the adventure of breeding “out of passion” and with the stated desire to work “from egg to plate”, says Eric. “On the farm, the chickens run around in the orchards all day,” they tell us, pointing to the plots. We benefit from a virtuous circle because the poultry eat small pests for our trees. »
“An agricultural model”
Not a small reinforcement for an operation in integral organic farming. The poultry is slaughtered on site and even cooked, in rillettes for example, or roasted in the farm restaurant. “It’s an agricultural model,” thinks Pascale. We transform on site, we try to communicate with customers, to show them. Raising chickens organically costs twice as much, it is important to create value for the product. Quality pays.” The gold medal brings credibility and notoriety, after significant investments.
The Normandy region supports agricultural initiatives like this. It shows the color, claiming to “promote the work of breeders, processors, production and marketing subsidiaries (…) and to promote the excellence of poultry raised in Normandy”. Among them, Norman breeds such as the Pavilly chicken or the Gournay hen. Bavent breeders have 300 of them, alongside their 1,500 free-range chickens. In the orchards, it's very Norman tingling.
