Facility

ISA (Institut de Sélection Animale) — Layer Breeding Station (Saint-Brieuc-de-Mauron, France)

The historic ISA breeding station in Brittany, France — the birthplace of the ISA Brown breed (developed 1978 by French state-backed breeding program). Now operated by Hendrix Genetics. This facility maintains ISA Brown grandparent stock and serves as a European backup GGP location. The ISA Brown line was developed here by selecting for high egg production in brown-egg Rhode Island Red x Rhode Island White crosses. This facility's historical significance: it produced the breed that now accounts for the majority of brown eggs in North America, Europe, and many Asian markets. The ISA program was originally funded by the French Ministry of Agriculture as a strategic agricultural competitiveness initiative — it is now owned by a private Dutch company.