The French Livestock Institute (Idele) is the French national technical reference in livestock farming
systems. It is a non-profit, non-governmental organization accredited by the French ministry of agriculture.
The mandate is to improve the competitiveness of herbivore farming, while taking into account the
diversity of national territories and livestock systems & social expectations. Its activities encompass applied
research, studies, technical assistance and technology transfer in cattle, sheep, goats and horses on
livestock production techniques, and on technical and economic competitiveness complying with animal
welfare and environmental issues. It relies on essays conducted in 12 experimental farms and monitors a
network of 2,000 commercial farms.
Idele manages many projects fostering partnerships with advisors, scientific networks. Its yearly turnover is
in the range of 24-26 million Euros. It employs 250 people, with more than 200 masters of science.
Its teams are engaged in partnerships with dozens of EU R&D organizations, through 50 EU aided projects,
among which 17 under implementation.