Why to genotype « our good cows »? An approach of the genomics by discursive contradictions
Thanks to a blood sample, Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) estimates the value of a livestock genetic potential. This technique is proposed as a new means to improve genetic progress. In this paper, we follow this so-called « third revolution » in cattle breeding through a qualitative study in the region where the « Montbeliard » race originates from (Jura and Doubs districts in France). All the farmers and inseminators we met are consistently and simultaneously favourable and reluctant to the introduction of such genomic tools. While MAS challenges their current practices, each of them also tries to assess its possible benefits. These underlying contradictions are the red wire of this investigation. Instead of considering such contradictions as a cognitive deficit, we analyse them as signs of hesitations and tensions and henceforth consider them as clues about the possible consequences of an ongoing innovation.