expensive meat?

The 2000 vintage rib steak can command €3,000 ($3,200) in the market according to breeder and meat farmer Alexandre Polmard. The breed of cattle in question, rivaling the most expensive and exclusive global names in beef such as Black Angus and Kobe, is called Blonde Aquitaine.

Polmard and his family raise them outside the small town of Saint Mihiel in the Meuse region of Lorraine, northeastern France.

"My family wouldn't dream of raising animals in sheds where they have no space or room to roam," he says. "Here they are in the open air, living in forests and on parkland. There are shelters they can choose to visit in case it rains or snows. It's really five-star accommodation!"

Polmard says he talks to his animals daily to ensure their lives are as comfortable and stress-free as possible The young farmer, breeder and butcher is the sixth generation to work in the eponymous family business, which was founded in 1846.