Categorization and Relational Processes in Breeding : The Ties between Animals and Breeders' Families

The aim of this paper is to show that in livestock farming, the categories of livestock, pets, work animals and stray or feral animals are more porous for farmers' families than is commonly thought (E. Gouabault & C. Burton-Jeangros, 2010).

Although pigs and cattle aren't considered pets by breeders and their families, specific relationships are in some instances forged that come close (J. Porcher, 2002). Sometimes at odds with the relationships studied between humans and pets, we'll show that a certain affectivity, but above all a particular “familiarity” emanates from these relationships. The farm is not only the place where the breeding activity takes place, but often also where the breeder's family lives. These spaces of life and production then overlap, creating interstices that enable relationships between family members and animals (D. Haraway, 2021). Processes of habituation and individualization then take place, leading to the establishment of genuine attachments, which can sometimes even have a real impact on the operation of the breeding activity.

While the conditions under which the animals are raised and their purpose call these relationships into question, especially in the case of animals intended for the family's personal consumption (N. Vialles, 1998), we shall see that they are ultimately to be seen as the basis of these particular conditioned relationships.

More than just a place to live and produce, the farm is a veritable microcosm, where various inter-species relationships are forged. In addition to production animals, we often find the herding dog, whose status within the family is always ambiguous, since it's somewhere between a pet and the farmer's working animal. The place of so-called “farm cats” is also interesting to study. Stray on farms, they have gradually gained the status of pets for breeders and their families, despite the health issues they may raise.