News Digest

Seek muscular male with quality rump? Try online dating for bulls

Described as blond, muscular and from a good family, Bariton’s online profile has caught the eye of Sylvain Frobert, who is thinking of hooking him up with Anita, or Henriette. He could also be a good match for Desiree. Or maybe even all three? But Frobert is not a matchmaker in the traditional sense. He is a farmer in Saint-Prix in the centre of France raising 160 Charolais cows for meat. And he needs just the right genetic material to boost his herd. The 33-year-old has turned to the Internet, where the website trouverlebontaureau.com (“find the right bull”) has hundreds of profiles of potential mates.

Today the size of farms has doubled and there is often only one son looking after the farm after his parents grow too old to help him - he needs docile cows who can give birth without his intervention or that of a veterinarian.

Pascal Soulas of Charolais Univers

The website was launched in France in October by a group of breeding associations during the country’s farming summit. Breeders can input details about their cow such as her age and race, as well as what characteristics they are looking to improve in their herd: Milk, growth, muscular development or calving prowess. Once this is done, dozens of profile pictures appear on the screen, and the hardest part is deciding from among the beefy bevy of French-bred bulls. The site also allows farmers to choose sexed semen which lets them choose male or female calves, depending on their needs.