Halyna Boiko, a student of Faculty of Food Technology and Quality of Agricultural Products speaks about her training at the enterprise G.A.E.C. du Buron de Fages

     Ouк university has long been cooperating with FEFU – federation of exchanges France-Ukraine. There are annual interviews at which students are selected and stand a chance to have their training in France. There are also free French courses which are conducted by native speakers.

     It was my second training by this program. In my first year I learnt about the life of French farmers. And Level II enabled me to see and learn how to make sausage and sausages, butter, and cheese.

     The training took place in the region of Auvergne Overn, which is famous for its five cheeses Auvergne such as Bleu d'Auvergne, Cantal, Fourme d'Ambert, Salers, Saint-Nectairе, at the department of Cantal, the village of Pleaux at a family enterprise which was founded by Thérèse et Roger Sevestre. The enterprise has approximately 200 ha of land, 180 dairy cows, pigs, sheep.

     Nowadays this enterprise is owned by two sons, Christian and Daniel. Their mother is still working at the production of meat products, in the shop, at the markets grows horses and donkeys.

     The working day was not regular. Usually we worked 7-10 hours a day, it depended on the amount of work to do. On Monday we cleaned, conducted a disinfection of workrooms; on Tuesday we prepared minced meat for sausages, fat and meat for selling at markets; on Wednesday we prepared sausage, sausages, paste; on Thursday we cooked dishes pounti, chou farci, aligot, tartes à la tomme, tourtes au Salers; on Friday we gutted chickens, ducks. For the last two weeks we worked in the shop. Besides, daily from 10.00 till 13.00 I worked in the dairy department producing cheese.

      I should mention that all products of G.A.E.C. du Buron de Fages is organic. To prepare minced meat for sausage they use only meat cut from fat, salt, species, wine, cognac. We produced approximately 140 kg of sausage per day.

     This training was very important for me. I was able to train skills for my future profession. On completing this training I know the peculiarities of the production, advantages and drawbacks of each of them. This experience is valuable for me. And I am grateful to my university and FEFU for this chance to obtain such an experience.

Halyna Boiko,
a third-year students of
Faculty Food Technology and
Quality Control of Agricultural Products