LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Renita, a Red Holstein cow whose full name is Plattery Savard Renita, took the top prize at Swiss Expo over the weekend.

The show, which pulled in 23,000 visitors, is Europe’s largest dairy show. Some 400 farmers brought their finest milk cows, over 1,000 of them, but Renita was the belle of the ball.

The grand champion among the eight breeds of top milk producers was also the winner of the award for the public’s favourite, selected after the finely groomed cows take their turns marching around the ring. The strong showing by Swiss cows shows that Swiss breeding is among the best in the world of milk cows, say the organizers.

Renita belongs to Christian Menoud of Romanens, canton Vaud.

Dairy cows do their bit for Swiss exports

For urban dwellers: Switzerland’s dairy business is an important part of the Swiss economy, producing 291,000 tons of milk in October 2013. October saw 16,500 tons of cheese produced and nearly 7,000 tons of cheese exported.

The exhibition is also popular for its agricultural machinery show, energy section, a growing terroir products area with food stalls and, since 2012, a large section on forestry.