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PGI — Label Rouge — Auvergne
In the shadow of the volcanic puys, farmhouse chickens and capons graze outdoors on the pastures of the Massif Central — a discreet yet robust PGI, heir to Auvergne's mixed farming heritage.
Free-range poultry from Auvergne, PGI (IGP) since 1996.
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The Volailles d'Auvergne PGI is a pioneer. In 1996, it was among the very first farmhouse poultry appellations recognised in France, alongside around twenty other poultry PGIs registered the same year, enshrining Auvergne's long heritage of peasant farming. For centuries, Auvergne's mountain mixed farming naturally incorporated poultry: chickens for the table, capons for feast days, guinea fowl, ducks and turkeys for generous family meals. Unlike Alsace, where PGI poultry is specialised, Auvergne fosters poultry diversity — every bird finds its place on the pastures of the Massif Central.
Today, more than 320 farmers produce under the label, for a total of over 9 million birds a year. It is a discreet yet robust, non-dominant sector that rejects the race for productivity in order to maintain extensive, outdoor rearing nourished on local cereals.
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The Auvergne region is France's 3rd-largest basin for Label Rouge farmhouse poultry — a secret of geography and tradition. The Massif Central offers a distinctive climate: mild summers, long autumns, and harsh winters that remain bearable for acclimatised poultry. The permanent grasslands — lush meadows of the Cantal, pastures of the Puy-de-Dôme — provide shelter and an abundance of insects. The four PGI départements frame this wealth: Cantal (15), mountainous and pastoral at its heart, volcanic and verdant Puy-de-Dôme (63), gently sloping Haute-Loire (43), and Allier (03), a more temperate northern prefecture. Each has its own microclimates, meadows and farmers.
The specifications require a minimum of 2 m² of pasture per bird and a diet made up of at least 75% cereals — sensible standards that produce tasty flesh, golden skin and complex flavour.
Appearance
Pale-pink to lightly golden flesh, thin golden skin, slender, elongated carcass
Aroma
Gentle, with scents of cereal and fresh grass
Taste
Complex flavour, lightly nutty, subtle sweetness balanced by a delicate hint of salinity
Texture
Firm, springy flesh, well-fibred meat, lean yet flavourful
The Volailles d'Auvergne PGI brings together several traditional poultry species: chickens, guinea fowl, ducks, turkeys, capons and poulardes.
6 to 12 weeks of rearing depending on the target weight, fine-fleshed breeds (Faverolles, Sussex, Wyandotte crosses), reared outdoors from 6 weeks — the emblem of the range.
male chicken castrated at around 10 weeks, then reared for an additional 14 to 16 weeks to accumulate flavourful fat — the flagship Christmas product, with delicate, melt-in-the-mouth flesh.
young hen that has not reproduced, reared specially for the table, fine flesh, subtle fat.
small, with an assertive flavour and dark meat, reared alongside the chickens.
also covered by the PGI, less represented than chicken or guinea fowl in current production.
(rare) — covered by the PGI but produced in smaller quantities, generally destined for the year-end festivities.
traditional breeds or crosses adapted to the mountain climate (Faverolles, Sussex, Wyandotte, Barnevelder).
(0–6 weeks) — chicks under infrared lamps, cereal starter feed, strict hygiene.
strictly local to Auvergne (cereals produced in the region), no preventive antibiotics, no animal meal.
controlled finishing for capons/poulardes.
reared to 81 days or more (Label Rouge/PGI), regulated slaughter, evisceration, labelling, cold chain.
fresh or frozen, packaging bearing the mandatory PGI logo.
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Farmhouse Auvergne poultry is simply prepared — roasted whole in the oven (160°C, 1 hr 30 min for 1.5–2 kg) with root vegetables (carrots, turnips, potatoes), butter, thyme and bay leaves. The flesh is fine and succulent, rarely dry thanks to the well-balanced fat.
The Christmas capon deserves a gastronomic feast: stuffing with mushrooms and chestnuts, morel sauce, and a side of pan-fried cèpes. Sumptuous, melt-in-the-mouth, unforgettable meat.
As terrine or rillettes: pan-seared meat, reduced purée, delicate jelly — Auvergne Christmas terrines.
Pairings: red Côtes d'Auvergne (Chanturgue, Boudes), white Saint-Pourçain (Allier), Condrieu or Côte-Rôtie (prestigious Rhône for capon).
Since: 1996
Key requirements: PGI (IGP) (since 1996, IG/04/94) — one of the first French poultry PGIs. Area: 4 Auvergne départements (63, 15, 43, 03). Traditional breeds or approved crosses. Minimum 2 m²/bird of pasture. Local cereal feed (min. 75% cereals). Minimum rearing period of 81 days (Label Rouge). INAO specifications, idProduit 3426.
Since: 1967
Key requirements: Additional quality certification: minimum 81 days of rearing, mandatory pasture, controlled feed. Criteria stricter than PGI alone. Labelled products must display the dual Label Rouge + PGI mark.
First Auvergne Label Rouge.
Trade association
Cooperative
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Allier Volailles traces its know-how back to 1894. The company merged with Volailles Vey and now relies on two sites: Escurolles, in Allier, which it presents as the cradle of Volailles Fermières d'Auvergne, and Polignac, in Haute-Loire, dedicated to Volailles Fermières du Velay. The poultry are slaughtered, packaged, and dispatched as close as possible to their rearing areas — a short-supply-chain approach that the company promotes as a guarantee of freshness and traceability.
The poultry reared for Allier Volailles have benefited from the PGI (IGP) 'Volailles Fermières d'Auvergne' since 1996 and from Label Rouge. The company notes that poulet du Bourbonnais was granted PDO (AOP) recognition on 13 November 2023, and describes itself as the second chicken in the world to obtain this quality mark.
Under the Gastronomie des Volcans brand, born in Auvergne, it also produces ranges of prepared dishes and poultry charcuterie, using raw materials that it states it favours sourcing locally.
| Address | 9 Rue David et Pérot, 03110 Escurolles, France |
| 04 70 90 68 60 | |
| client@allier-volailles.fr | |
| allier-volailles.fr | |
| @allier_volailles | |
| Visits | By appointment |
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Part of the production is certified organic, since 2010. |
