Conservation status | not at risk [1] |
---|---|
Country of origin | Italy |
Traits | |
Weight | |
Notes | |
Breed standard | |
|
The Large White Italiana is the Italian strain of the British Large White or Yorkshire breed of pig. It is the most numerous pig breed in Italy. [1] It is one of the seven pig breeds of foreign origin recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry, and one of the four for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini, the Italian national association of pig-breeders. [3]
Yorkshire pigs were first imported into Italy in 1873, by the director of the Istituto Tecnico Agrario of Reggio Emilia. They spread rapidly, at first in the Po valley, and soon throughout Italy. [1] By 1886 they were in the area of Faenza; here two local populations, the San Lazzaro and the Bastianella (named for the estates where they were raised) acquired the status of sub-types. First-generation crosses of these with local Mora Romagnola pigs preserved some of the meat quality of the local breed, but grew much faster; because of their smoky colouring, these hybrids were known as Fumati. [1] [4]
A herdbook was established in 1970. [5] At the end of 2007, there were 51,418 pigs registered. [1] The breed is present throughout Italy; most of the population is concentrated in the Po Valley, where heavy pigs are mostly raised. [1]
The large size, strong legs and rapid growth of the Large White made it suitable for intensive raising of the heavy pigs needed for production of prosciutto crudo – particularly Prosciutto di Parma and Prosciutto di San Daniele – and of other traditional Italian preserved meat products. The Italian strain has over a long period been selectively bred for this purpose. Both pure-bred Large White Italiana pigs and first-generation hybrids with other breeds are raised for slaughter, mainly for production of salumi; some, however, are slaughtered for fresh meat. The usual slaughter weight is about 160–170 kg. [1]
The Orobica or Valgerola is a breed of domestic goat from the Val Gerola in the province of Sondrio, in the Bergamo Alps of northern Italy. It is raised in the Val Gerola and the Valchiavenna in the province of Sondrio, in the Alto Lario Occidentale, the Valsassina and the Val Varrone in the province of Como, and in the upper Val Brembana in the Province of Bergamo. The origins of the breed are unknown; it is first documented at the beginning of the twentieth century. The Orobica is one of the eight autochthonous Italian goat breeds for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.
The Italian Landrace is an Italian breed of domestic pig. It derives from the Danish Landrace breed developed in Denmark at the end of the nineteenth century. Stock was imported into Italy after the Second World War. The breed has been selected principally for suitability for the production of prosciutto crudo. It is, after the Large White Italiana, the second-most numerous pig breed in Italy. The breed standard is issued by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry; the herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini, the national pig-breeders' association.
The Cinta Senese is a breed of domestic pig from the province of Siena, in Tuscany, central Italy. Since 2006 animals raised in Tuscany have had DOP status, and are officially named Suino Cinto Toscano DOP. The Cinta Senese is one of the six autochthonous pig breeds recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry.
The Calvana is a cattle breed from Tuscany, in central Italy. It is particularly associated with the Calvana region in the provinces of Florence and Prato, but is also raised in the provinces of Pistoia and Siena. It was previously considered a type within the Chianina breed, but is now recognised as a separate breed. A herdbook was opened in 1985. It is one of the 16 minor Italian cattle breeds of limited diffusion recognised and protected by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture.
The Grigio Siciliano or Asino Ferrante, is a breed of donkey from the Mediterranean island of Sicily in southern Italy. It is bred only on the island, in the provinces of Agrigento, Enna, Palermo, Ragusa and Syracuse. The conservation status of the Grigio Siciliano was listed as "critical" by the FAO in 2007. In 2012 it was not among the autochthonous donkey breeds of limited distribution recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry. A recent census conducted by researchers at the University of Messina counted approximately 100 individuals between 4 months and 14 years old.
The Nero di Parma is a breed of pig from the province of Parma, in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. It is a modern recreation of the ancient Nera Parmigiana breed, which became effectively extinct in the second half of the twentieth century, following the importation of pig breeds from Britain, though it is still listed in DAD-IS. From the mid-1990s, the breed was re-created from a small number of primitive animals located in the areas of Santa Margherita di Fidenza, Bardi, and Pellegrino Parmense, and in 2008 numbered about 300. A herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini, the Italian national association of pig-breeders. It is not among the pig breeds recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry.
The Mora Romagnola is a breed of pig from Emilia-Romagna, in northern Italy. It may also be called Mora, Bruna Romagnola, Castagnina or Forlivese. It is raised principally in Emilia–Romagna, but also in Campania, Friuli–Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, the Marche, Piemonte and the Veneto. It is one of the six autochthonous pig breeds recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry.
The Nero Siciliano is a breed of domestic pig from the Mediterranean island of Sicily, in southern Italy. It is raised mainly in the province of Messina, particularly in the Monti Nebrodi. For this reason it is often known as the Nero dei Nebrodi; it may also be called Nero delle Madonie or Nero dell'Etna, for its association with the Madonie mountains and mount Etna respectively. It is one of the six autochthonous pig breeds recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry.
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 Altamurana is a breed of sheep from the province of Bari, in Puglia in southern Italy. It takes its name from the town of Altamura, in the Murge. It is of Asiatic, possibly Syrian, origin. It is raised mainly in the provinces of Bari and Foggia. 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 on average 7.5% fat and 6.5% protein.
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 Apulo-Calabrese is a breed of black domestic pig from Calabria, in southern Italy. It may also be known as the Calabrese, Nero Calabrese or Nero di Calabria, and by many other regional names. It derives from the old Pugliese pig breed of Puglia, which in turn derives from the Casertana breed of Campania; it is closely related to that breed. The Apulo-Calabrese is one of the six autochthonous pig breeds recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry.
The Sarda or Suino Sardo is a breed of domestic pig from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, Italy. It is raised mainly in the provinces of Ogliastra and Nuoro, but is also present in those of Medio Campidano and Sassari and in the Sarrabus-Gerrei sub-region. The Sarda breed was officially recognised by ministerial decree on 8 June 2006 and became the sixth autochthonous pig breed recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry.
The Casertana is a breed of domestic pig from Campania, in southern Italy. It is mainly associated with the province of Caserta, from which its name derives, but was in the past also raised in the provinces of Campobasso, Naples, Rome and Salerno. The area of the lower basin of the Garigliano and Volturno rivers, including the comuni of Carinola, Mondragone, Minturno, Sessa Aurunca and Teano, was particularly known for production of the breed, which may also be known as the Teanese after the town of Teano.
The Duroc Italiana is the Italian strain of the American Duroc breed of domestic pig. It is the third most numerous pig breed in Italy, after the Large White Italiana and the Italian Landrace. It is one of the seven pig breeds of foreign origin recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry, and one of the four for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini, the Italian national association of pig-breeders.
The Sarda Primitiva is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, off the west coast of Italy. It is quite distinct from the better-known Sarda breed of goat. It is raised in the mountainous areas of the historic sub-regions of Ogliastra, of Sarrabus-Gerrei and of Sulcis-Iglesiente. It is one of the forty-three autochthonous Italian goat breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep- and goat-breeders.
The Napoletana is a breed of domestic goat from the area south of Naples, in Campania in southern Italy. It is raised on the slopes of Vesuvius, on the slopes of the Monti Lattari, and in the Agro Nocerino Sarnese which lies between them. The origin of the breed is unknown. It may derive from goats of African origin imported to the area in the early years of the twentieth century; the alternative name Torca Nera, "black Turkish goat", suggests an origin in the Mediterranean basin.
The Garfagnina or Garfagnana is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the mountainous Garfagnana area north of Lucca, in Tuscany in central Italy, from which it takes its name. It is raised in that area, in the comuni of Camporgiano, Careggine, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Fosciandora, Minucciano, Pieve Fosciana, Vergemoli and Villa Collemandina; in the comuni of Bagni di Lucca, Barga, Coreglia Antelminelli and Fabbriche di Vallico in the Media Valle del Serchio; and in the historic area of the Controneria, to the north-east of Bagni di Lucca. It may also be known as the Capra della Media Valle del Serchio or as the Capra della Controneria. It is probably the last remnant of the Apennine type of goat of Emilia, Liguria and Tuscany.
The Roccaverano is an indigenous breed of large domestic goat from the Langhe, in the provinces of Asti and Cuneo, in Piemonte in north-western Italy. It is raised mainly in the Langa Astigiana, mostly within the Comunità montana Langa Astigiana Val Bormida, and is named for the town and comune of Roccaverano in that area. The origins of the breed are unknown.
The Ciavenasca is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the Valchiavenna, in the northern part of the province of Sondrio, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It is raised only in that area; the name of the breed derives from that of the valley or the town of Chiavenna. The Ciavenasca belongs to the group of polychrome or multi-coloured Alpine goat breeds and displays several distinct coat types, each of which has a name in the local dialect. Management is extensive: the animals are kept on high alpine pasture in the summer months. They are extremely hardy and well adapted to mountain terrain.