The goats of the ditches, in need of females, compete in Alençon, France

"In Normandy, there are only five breeders who milk goats from ditches", Mathias Clémence figures. With his wife, Aurélie, they raise some in Saint-Martin-de-Bonfossé (50). If the couple were milking a 50-head herd whose milk was processed by a neighbor, they made the decision in 2019 to switch to breastfeeding. "We have a horse boarding activity, which we have developed", explains Mathias Clémence, who is also a cattle trader and especially passionate about the ditch goat. After having been president of the association for the safeguard and protection (ASP) of the goats of the ditches, he is its secretary. “My passion, I can't explain it. It's like that. "Mathias Clémence describes an animal" small (35-40 kg for adult females), rustic but sensitive to parasites, mischievous and brawling. If a dominant folds to the headlock, she can hit all those who try to approach 4 m ”. But when he arrives in the field and says to them “Hey you come! », The herd tumbles and does not let go. ...