Support to the breeders of Rex du Poitou
I accepted to offer my support to the breeders of Rex du Poitou for their daily struggle. This is a struggle against all fierce opponents of meat products – who are numerous and too violent at present. I, myself, am a militant omnivorous provided that the animals’ well-being is respected during breeding and killing); this is also a struggle for quality by breeding the best rabbits against competitors less scrupulous, with disproportionate volumes and means.
The rabbits help them, too – the same rabbits who would prefer dying of hunger before eating the vile mixtures served to the poor battery hens. The result is the Rex, king amongst rabbits, pampered by the breeders to provide a flesh matching that of the best certified poultry. All those who cooked it consider it unrivalled.
My aim is to support these respectful breeders and to have recognized the gastronomic singularity of the Rex that I decided to get on my proud steed (or rather on my big rabbit), as a knight of all things gastronomical, to erode common beliefs, defending this noble cause and the honest people serving it.
Long live the king!… I mean, long live the Rex!
Vincent Ferniot
Food Journalist and Restaurant Manager
Responsible breeding
Once upon a time, there were women and men keen on making sense of their craft thanks to an ethical code for sustainable development and for the enhancement of natural products… This was the beginning of the wonderful story of the cooperative of Orylag® and Rex du Poitou®. This structure allowed 11 passionate breeders to sell their exceptional “Orylag® and Rex du Poitou® rabbits throughout the world. And this passion for this extraordinary animal has remained intact for more than 25 years. The success of this endeavour rests on artisan production methods which are themselves based on an agriculture that is independent, ethical, balanced and respectful of humans and animals.
The Orylag® and Rex du Poitou® breeding farm is a responsible one. The whole animal is transformed, just like for other animals such as beef or sheep.
This quality-focused breeding farm uses all forms of improvements to offer calm and safe conditions for the animals while putting the focus on all forms of benevolence to enhance their development. Ethical code, commitment, care, respect and passion are the core concepts for Orylag® breeders. The latter are also farmers and craftspeople, but they are especially strong advocates of Orylag®: an animal providing many benefits, including its white flesh (a true functional food) and its incredibly soft hide.
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Preface
It is also the fruit of a bond built over more than a quarter of a century between Orylag breeders and the author Gianfranco Ciampi. They share a certain green philosophy in which humans, animals and agriculture are tied together within an ethical code that only love and mutual respect are able to define !
“If you love, you act as a responsible man”: Saint Augustine – whose first tomb was located in Sardinia – defines responsible liberty in these terms, as a source of harmony and balance that drive us every day.
Sardinia… it is indeed all about Sardinia. This magnificent island succeeded in protecting itself against the influence of the continent - following the desire of its islanders - by preserving a pastoral way of like while at the same time opening itself to agrotourism. Thus, visitors passing by in the summer would take back other things than memories of a blue sea and a generous nature.
The writings of Gianfranco Ciampi are also a plea to reconcile nature with city-dwellers who seem to suffer from environmental amnesia. As some researchers and philosophers point out, the further away from nature one lives, the more one forgets its original value.
However, this work is first and foremost a foundational piece announcing a good omen – that of a land that has been found again providing a fertile ground for women and men in search of values, for the noble crafts that are breeding and agriculture.
Jean Boutteaud