Conservation status | FAO (2007): endangered [1] |
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Other names |
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Country of origin | Italy |
Distribution | province of Verona |
Standard | MIPAAF |
Use | triple-purpose, milk, meat and wool |
Traits | |
Weight | |
Height | |
Skin colour | pinkish |
Wool colour | white |
Face colour | white with red markings |
Horn status | hornless in both sexes |
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The Brogna or Brogne is an Italian breed of domestic sheep from the province of Verona, in the Veneto in north-eastern Italy. [3] It is well adapted to the local upland environment. [2] The name of the breed may derive from that of the suppressed comune of Breonio, now part of Fumane. [2]
The origins of the Brogna are unknown. [4] It is raised principally in Lessinia, the plateau which extends from the Monti Lessini to the Po valley, in the comuni of Grezzana, Illasi, Mezzane di Sotto, Rovere Veronese, Selva di Progno and Tregnago. [5] : 198 This area coincides with an enclave of Cimbrian language and culture, and the origins of the breed may be closely linked to those people, who arrived from Bavaria in the early thirteenth century. [5] : 198 [6] : 50 Alternatively, the Brogna may have originated as a composite of the Bergamasca and Lamon breeds. [2]
The Brogna is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders. [6] : 50
The area of Verona was formerly famous for its woollen goods, but from the sixteenth century its importance began to decline. Sheep-farming became secondary to cattle-raising in the area; from about 30000 head of sheep on the plateau in the late eighteenth century, numbers had fallen to 5334 in a census of 1881. [5] : 198 In the early 1980s a census of the Brogna breed counted 50 head and it was considered to be close to extinction. [5] : 198 By 1994 numbers had risen to over 4500. [2] In 2013 total numbers for the breed were 2193. [7]
The Brogna is a medium-sized breed, with rams averaging about 60 kg (130 lb) with a wither height of 67 cm (26 in) and ewes about 47 kg (100 lb) with a wither height of 57 cm (22 in). [2]
The Brogna was traditionally a triple-purpose breed, raised for meat, milk and wool; however the demand for wool is now low and it is raised principally for meat. [5] : 198 After the lambs are weaned, ewes yield about 100 kg of milk in 100 days. Lambs reach about 17 kg at 60 days, and are slaughtered at a weight of 15–20 kg. [5] : 198
In a feeding trial of the lambs, comparing them to other regional breeds under three different feeding regimes, the Brogna was found to have more fat and better cooking qualities than the Alpagota but a slower growth rate and smaller carcase size than the Foza. All three breeds were worth preserving to provide regional products to local markets. [8]
The Corteno or Pecora di Corteno is a breed of sheep from the Val Camonica, in the province of Brescia in Lombardy, northern Italy. It is raised in the comune of Corteno Golgi, from which it takes its name, and in the neighbouring comuni of Edolo, Malonno and Paisco Loveno, all lying within the Comunità Montana di Valle Camonica. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.
The Appenninica is a modern Italian breed of sheep from the central Apennine Mountains. It is raised principally in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, but also in Abruzzo, Emilia–Romagna, Lazio and the Marche. It was created in the 1970s by cross-breeding and selective breeding of various local sheep of those regions with the Bergamasca and with Ile-de-France and Berrichon du Cher stock from France.
The Bergamasca is a breed of domestic sheep from the mountainous part of the province of Bergamo, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It originates from the area of the Val Brembana and the Val Seriana valleys, and is particularly associated with the plateau of Clusone. By the beginning of the 20th century it had spread through much of Lombardy; it is now raised in most parts of mainland Italy, particularly the province of Teramo in Abruzzo, where more than 80% of the registered stock are kept. The Bergamasca is also present in Brazil, Serbia and Venezuela. It is raised principally for meat, and is often used for cross-breeding with other meat breeds to improve meat yield. In Lombardy, it is traditionally raised by transhumant management: the herds spend the summers on the alpine pasture, and over-winter in the Po valley.
The Biellese is a breed of large domestic sheep indigenous to the province of Biella, in Piedmont in north-western Italy, from which it takes its name. It may also be known as the Razza d'Ivrea, after the town of Ivrea, or as the Piemontese Alpina. The Biellese is one of the seventeen autochthonous Italian sheep breeds for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.
The Bovec is a breed of domestic sheep from the upper valley of the Soča or Isonzo river, now in Slovenia. The breed is named in both Slovenian and in Italian for the town of Bovec or Plezzo; in the Trenta valley it may also be called Trentarka. It is raised in the Soča valley in Slovenia, in the areas of Resia and Tarvisio in Friuli in Italy, and in Styria and Carinthia in Austria. The breed is raised for milk and for meat.
The Comisana, also known as Faccia Rossa and Lentinese, is an Italian breed of domestic sheep indigenous to central and northern areas of the Mediterranean island of Sicily. Its name derives from that of the comune of Comiso, in the province of Ragusa. It is raised principally in the provinces of Caltanissetta, Enna and Palermo, but is found in many other Italian provinces and has also been exported to other Mediterranean countries.
The Fabrianese is a modern Italian breed of domestic sheep from the Marche region of central Italy. It takes its name from the town and comune of Fabriano, in the province of Ancona. It was created as a dual-purpose breed in the 1960s by cross-breeding local breeds of the Apennines of the Marche with rams of the Bergamasca breed from the Alps of Lombardy. It is raised in the eastern foothills of the Apennines, in the provinces of Ancona, Ascoli Piceno and Macerata in the Marche, and in the province of Terni in Umbria.
The Alpagota is a breed of sheep from the province of Belluno in the Veneto, in north-eastern Italy. It is particularly associated with the historic region of the Alpago, from which it takes its name, and is raised principally in that area.
The Ciavenasca is an Italian breed of small domestic sheep from the province of Sondrio, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is raised in the mountainous terrain of the Val San Giacomo, the Val Bregaglia and the Valchiavenna, from which the name of the breed derives. It is raised only for meat; the wool is of very poor quality, and the milk is sufficient only for the lambs. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.
The Finarda is a breed of large domestic sheep from the regions of Lombardy and Piemonte in northern Italy. It is heavy breed raised mainly for meat, although it also yields 4–6 kg of wool per year. It results from cross-breeding the Bergamasca and Biellese breeds. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders. However, in 2008 the herdbook was empty, and may in fact never have been activated. Most data for the breed dates from 1983.
The Frabosana is a breed of sheep from the valleys of the Monregalese, the area around Mondovì in the province of Cuneo, in Piemonte in north-west Italy. It takes its name from the comuni of Frabosa Soprana and Frabosa Sottana, and was once the most numerous sheep breed of Piemonte. It is raised in the Valle Gesso, the Valle Grana, the Valle Pesio, the Valle Vermenagna and the Valli Monregalesi, and in the Val Pellice. Two types are recognised within the breed, the Roaschino in the Ligurian Alps, and the slightly smaller Frabosana raised in the area of Mondovì. The Frabosana is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.
The Garessina or Muma is a breed of small sheep from the Garessina, the area surrounding Garessio in the province of Cuneo, in Piemonte in north-west Italy. It is raised principally in the valleys of the Tanaro, its affluent the Negrone, and the Casotto; it is not raised commercially, but kept as a family sheep. It has been influenced by Spanish Merino and French Alpine breeds. The wool is of fine quality. The Garessina is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.
The Savoiarda or razza di Cuorgné is a threatened breed of upland sheep from the province of Turin, in Piemonte, north-west Italy. The few remaining breeders are in the Val Chisone, the Val di Susa, the Valli di Lanzo and the Val Pellice.
The Trimeticcia di Segezia is a modern breed of domestic sheep from Puglia in southern Italy. It is named for the town of Segezia, a frazione of Foggia, where it was created at the Istituto Sperimentale per la Zootecnia, an experimental breeding station of the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole, Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture. "Trimeticcia" means "three-way hybrid": the breed was created by cross-breeding Gentile di Puglia ewes with French Île-de-France rams, and then crossing the resultant hybrid with Württemberger rams; the resulting stock was selectively bred for adaptation to the climate and conditions of the area. The range of the breed is principally the plain of the Tavoliere delle Puglie, but extends also into Molise. The Trimeticcia di Segezia is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herd-book is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.
The Altamurana is an Italian breed of sheep from the province of Bari, in Puglia in southern Italy. It is of Asiatic, possibly Syrian, origin. It is raised mainly in the provinces of Bari and Foggia, and takes its name from the town of Altamura, in the Murge. It was formerly considered a triple-purpose breed, yielding meat, milk, and wool; it is now kept principally for milk production. It yields approximately 65 kg of milk per lactation, with an average of 7.5% fat and 6.5% protein.
The Pinzirita or Pinzunita is a breed of domestic sheep indigenous to the Mediterranean island of Sicily, Italy. Its name derives from pinzuni, the Sicilian language name for the chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs, which it is thought to resemble in colouring. It is also known as the Siciliana comune, or "common Sicilian sheep". It is distributed throughout most of Sicily, except for the southern coast, where the Comisana is preferred, and the hills of the provinces of Agrigento, Caltanissetta and the southern part of the province of Palermo, where the Barbaresca is predominant. Like the Leccese and Altamurana, it belongs to the Zackel sheep group. It is a hardy and frugal breed, well adapted to survival on poor mountain pasture and in the macchia mediterranea biome of inland Sicily.
The Leccese or Moscia Leccese is a breed of domestic sheep indigenous to the Salento peninsula, in Puglia, southern Italy. Its name derives from that of Lecce, the principal city of the peninsula. Like the Pinzirita and the Altamurana, it belongs to the Zackel sheep group. It is a hardy and frugal breed, usually kept in semi-feral herds, capable of surviving year-round on pasture alone. The wool is normally white and the skin flesh-coloured with darker mottlings. In a small proportion of animals the wool is entirely black, and the skin is also black; these black-skinned sheep are resistant to the effects of the poisonous Hypericum crispum, common in the Salento, which in the white-woolled, pale-skinned sheep causes photosensitivity and thus dermatitis.
The Gentile di Puglia is a breed of domestic sheep indigenous to southern Italy. It originates from the Tavoliere di Foggia, a large plain in the northern part of Puglia, and is raised mainly in that region; a few are found in neighbouring regions. The Gentile di Puglia is sometimes known as the Merinos d'Italia, or Italian merino.
The Merinizzata Italiana is a modern Italian breed of dual-purpose sheep from southern Italy. It was created in the twentieth century by cross-breeding local Italian stock with imported Merino breeds from France and Germany. It is reared in central and southern Italy, principally in Abruzzo.
The Delle Langhe, also called Pecora delle Langhe or Langarola, is a breed of domestic sheep indigenous to Piedmont, in north-western Italy. It is a rough-woolled breed of southern Mediterranean type, and originates from the mountainous area of the Alta Langa, where the Apennines meet the Alps, in the province of Cuneo. It is raised mainly in the Langhe, but is found in several other regions of Italy including Abruzzo, Basilicata, Emilia–Romagna, Liguria and Tuscany.