Volailles de Cholet

Volailles de Cholet designates poultry carcases and cut pieces produced within a defined area centred on the arrondissement of Cholet and adjoining districts across four départements. The specification requires pure or crossbred slow-growing stock, open-air rearing, cereal-based feed, and a minimum slaughter age set for each poultry type, with carcases graded at the abattoir.

About this designation

Volailles de Cholet was registered as a PGI on 21 June 1996 under file number PGI-FR-0161, with eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000012944. The applicant group was SYVORC, based in Villedieu la Blouère. The designated geographical area comprises the arrondissement of Cholet and specified districts in four départements: in Maine-et-Loire, the districts of St-Georges-sur-Loire, Chalonnes, Thouarce, and Vihiers; in Loire-Atlantique, the districts of Glisson and Vallet; in Deux-Sèvres, the district of Mauléon; and in Vendée, the district of Mortagne-sur-Sèvre. The specification requires pure or crossbred slow-growing stock, reared in the open air on a cereal-based feed, with a minimum slaughter age defined for each type of poultry. Carcases are graded at the abattoir. The product is described as poultry carcases or cut pieces with firm flesh and superior organoleptic characteristics, slaughtered at an age close to sexual maturity. Traceability is maintained through a documentary record system covering every batch: declarations by breeders, delivery slips for day-old chicks, departure declarations for the abattoir, carcase collection receipts, and declarations of labels used after slaughter. All labels are numbered. Products bear the designation Volailles de Cholet, the name of the poultry type, and the name and address of the certifying authority, ACLAVE, based in La Roche sur Yon. The historical reputation of Cholet poultry in regional and Parisian markets from the late eighteenth century is cited as part of the link to geographical origin.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PGI on 21 June 1996 under file number PGI-FR-0161, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000012944.
• The geographical area spans specified districts across four départements: Maine-et-Loire, Loire-Atlantique, Deux-Sèvres, and Vendée.
• The specification requires pure or crossbred slow-growing stock, open-air rearing, and cereal-based feed; no other stock type is permitted.
• All labels are numbered, and a full documentary record is maintained for every batch to ensure traceability from hatchery to abattoir.

Tasting notes

Maine-et-Loire free-range poultry IGP. Firm flavored flesh.

HoReCa use

Loire Valley restaurant poultry preparations.

Packaging

• whole-bird-fresh-1.5-2.5kg