The 52nd edition of the Salon International de l’Agriculture, The International Agricultural Show, has started this weekend; it is a 9 days exhibition taking place at the Porte de Versailles show grounds in Paris from the 21st of February until the 1st of March 2015.

The Salon de l’Agriculture has been for more than 50 years the annual meeting place for key players of the agricultural world: breeders, local farmers, regions, professional organizations and agricultural professional unions, different ministries, research institutes. It is also a most popular show among the general public; last year more than 700.000 visitors attended the show. The Show is organized around 4 sectors: livestock and breeding, crops and plant, products and gastronomy, agricultural services and professions. 1.050 exhibitors show about 4.000 farm animals and pets.

This year’s muse is Filouse, a sweet and gentle Red Flamande cow, bred by Dominique and Edith Macke; this year's theme: "Agriculture on the move".

http://en.salon-agriculture.com

The show is famous for the General Agricultural Competition (in French, Concours Général Agricole, the CGA) created 1870 in order to select and award the finest French produce and the best breeding animals. There are 4 grand competitions: animals (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, donkeys and dogs), farm products and wines, judgement, and flowery meadows. Participants are selected by state approved selection organizations.

Dogs are part of the CGA since 2002, but shepherd dogs are mentioned as attending the competition between 1876 and 1898. The best dogs of the Nationale d’Elevage (National Breed Show organized by breed clubs); the best Champion and Working class male and female; the CACs male and female; the best Breeder and the best Progeny class qualify for the CGA, where each day of the competition is dedicated to one or two FCI groups, judged by a panel of three judges: a veterinarian, a group judge and an all-round judge.

475 exhibitors entered 980 dogs at the CGA this year. The SCC offers winners a free entry at the French Championship Show to be held 5-7/06/2015 in Dijon. A free photo session with a professional photographer is proposed to all the breeders attending the Agricultural Show, those who attend the CGA and the 254 volunteers who present their dogs - 476 altogether – within the Breed Village, gathering 82 breeds this year.

http://www.scc.asso.fr/Salon-International-de-l

For gourmets, a link to the CGA online boutique, where one can buy the awarded products (delivered only in France for the time being):

http://www.concours-agricole.com/boutique/boutique_accueil.aspx?utm_source=site-cga&utm_medium=display