On the occasion of the European Heritage Days on 18 and 19 September, Rémi Deyres, a member of the cooperative, and his uncle Olivier opened the doors of their farm in Sainte-Colombe. Two days placed under the sign of discovery, transmission and conviviality, to introduce the public, schoolchildren and the curious, to the realities of fattened duck farming.
Two days to transmit and share
A young 21-year-old breeder, Rémi Deyres has mobilised alongside his uncle Olivier to introduce them to their profession and their farm, which raises nearly 30,000 ducks each year.
The first day, Friday 18 September, was dedicated to schoolchildren. Six primary classes, i.e. 122 pupils from Serres-Gaston (40) and Saint-Sever (40), were welcomed on the farm. On the programme: discovery of how a farm works, animal observation and fun workshops around agriculture.
The children were also able to get their hands dirty with culinary workshops offered by the association Les Enfants cuisinent. Using products from the sector, they prepared recipes based on duck legs confit, duck breast and foie gras, before sharing a tasting.
A concrete way to allow them to better understand the origin of their food and the daily life of farmers.
Introducing agriculture as close as possible to the field
The next day, Saturday 19 September, more than 200 visitors visited the farm throughout the day.
A visit to the farm, discovery of the practices and the different stages of the duck journey: the day allowed visitors to better understand the realities of this production and the work of the breeders.
To extend this moment of discovery, the Young Farmers of the Landes offered a convivial break around a duck-based meal, which was a great success.
Organised on the initiative of the Interprofessional Committee for Foie Gras Palmipeds (CIFOG), these open days are part of an educational approach to the palmiped sector. In Sainte-Colombe, the operation was organised in partnership with the Chamber of Agriculture, Maïsadour, the Jeunes Agriculteurs (JA) and Agridemain 40.
For Rémi Deyres and his uncle, these two days were above all an opportunity to open their farm, to share their profession and to create a direct dialogue with the public, by introducing an agriculture rooted in its territory and in its gastronomic heritage.
