Pasiega

Last updated

Pasiega
Conservation status
Other names
  • Roja Pasiega
Country of originSpain
Distribution Valles Pasiegos of Cantabria
Standard Consejería de Desarrollo Rural, Ganadería, Pesca y Biodiversidad, Cantabria (page 9723, in Spanish)
Usemilk
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    500 kg [2]
  • Female:
    335 kg [2]
Height
  • Male:
    148 cm [2]
  • Female:
    133 cm [2]
Coatred, varying from hazel to deep red
Horn statussmall horns in both sexes
  • Cattle
  • Bos (primigenius) taurus

The Pasiega is a traditional Spanish breed of red dairy cattle from the autonomous community of Cantabria in northern Spain. [2] [3] [4] It originated in the Valles Pasiegos in south-eastern Cantabria. The name derives from that of the Pas River, which flows through that region. [5] Because of the colour of its coat it may also be known as the Roja Pasiega [6] or Rojina.[ citation needed ]

Contents

The Pasiega was believed to be extinct [1] :106 [7] until the late twentieth century, when a surviving group was identified. The breed was officially recognised in 2007. [8] :468 [9] It is one of only two autochthonous Spanish breeds of dairy cattle, the other being the Menorquina of Menorca in the Balearic Islands. [8] :268

History

The Pasiega is a traditional dairy breed of Cantabria, and particularly of the area of the three principal towns of the Valles Pasiegos: San Pedro del Romeral, San Roque de Riomiera and Vega de Pas. Genetic studies have found it to be closely related to the Asturiana de la Montaña, Asturiana de los Valles, Rubia Gallega and Sayaguesa breeds of northern Spain, but not – despite the geographical proximity – to the other cattle breed of Cantabria, the Tudanca. [8] :268

Pasiega cattle were traditionally managed under a type of short-range transhumance: in spring and summer they grazed on meadows on the slopes of the mountains of the Cordillera Cantábrica; in autumn they were brought down to the valleys, and grazed the fields which had been harvested; in winter they were stabled, and fed hay and maize meal. [4] :132 Shelter was provided for them throughout the year; these stone-built shelters are now of cultural significance. [8] :268

In the nineteenth century, as urbanisation increased and the major Spanish cities grew larger, demand for milk increased. Many Pasiego farmers moved with their cattle to the cities to supply them with milk, and the Pasiega spread through much of the country. The quantity of milk that could be produced soon became more important than the fat content, [4] :133 and from about 1865 imports of specialised foreign dairy cattle began. At first these were Swiss Braunvieh; they were soon followed by Dutch Friesians. [8] :268 Cross-breeding of the Pasiega with these cattle caused a decline in breed numbers, [4] :133 to the point that by about 1940 the breed was considered extinct. [8] :268

In the late twentieth century a small number of cattle of the original type were identified. [8] :268 A breed society, the Asociación de Criadores de Ganado Vacuno de la Agrupación Pasiega, was formed in 2006. [4] :133 The Pasiega was officially recognised in 2007, and a herd-book was established in 2009. [8] :268

In 2018 the breed population was reported to be 598 head, including 403 breeding cows and 7 bulls; semen from a further 22 bulls was available for artificial insemination. [2] In 2020 the Pasiega was reported to be endangered at local level. [2]

Characteristics

The Pasiega is fairly tall, but not heavily built. [8] :268 The head is short, with a broad forehead and a straight profile; the horns are small, yellowish at the base and darker towards the tips. The limbs are long and slender. The coat is red, varying from hazelnut-coloured to a deep rich red; skin at the natural openings may be dark or pale. [4] :133

The cattle are hardy and rustic, well adapted to the harsh climate of the Montes del Pas and capable of foraging on steep or rough mountain terrain. [10]

Use

The Pasiega is kept for milk production; the milk is used to make local cheeses, or butter for the preparation of dishes such as sobaos pasiegos or quesadas pasiegas . [4] :134

Related Research Articles

Sayaguesa cattle breed

The Sayaguesa is an endangered Spanish breed of domestic cattle. It is named for the comarca of Sayago in the province of Zamora, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León, and is raised almost exclusively in that area. It may also be known as the Zamorana, the Moles de Sayago or the Castellana variedad Sayaguesa. It was traditionally kept mainly for draught work, but is now raised principally for meat.

Hispano-Árabe horse breed

The Hispano-Árabe is a Spanish horse breed originating from the cross-breeding of Arab and Andalusian horses.

Asturian Mountain cattle cattle breed

Asturian Mountain is a local Spanish breed of cattle, which possess breeding capacity and docility. They are primarily raised in the east of Asturias, in the north of Spain, particularly in the mountain range of the Picos de Europa, including within the National Park of Covadonga. The breed is also known as the Casina They are beef cattle and one of three breeds used to produce Casín cheese.

Mallorquín Spanish breed of horse from Mallorca in the Balearic Islands

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Asturian Valley cattle cattle breed

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Rubia Gallega Spanish breed of cattle

The Rubia Gallega, Galician: Rubia Galega, is a breed of cattle native to the autonomous community of Galicia in north-western Spain. It is raised mainly for meat. It is distributed throughout Galicia, with about 75% of the population concentrated in the province of Lugo. The coat may be red-blond, wheaten, or cinnamon-coloured.

Monchino

The Monchino or Monchinu or is a breed of horse indigenous to the Valle de Guriezo in the Cantabria region of northern Spain, and also extending into neighbouring Biscay province. It is listed in the Official Catalogue of Livestock Breeds of Spain in the group of autochthonous breeds in danger of extinction. The word monchinu means highlander, from the mountains, in Cantabrian.

Menorquín horse breed of horse from Menorca

The Menorquín or Catalan: Cavall Menorquí is a breed of horse indigenous to the island of Menorca in the Balearic Islands, from which it takes its name. It is closely associated with the doma menorquina style of riding.

Tudanca cattle

The Tudanca is a traditional Spanish breed of cattle from Cantabria, in northern Spain. It takes its name from the village of Tudanca in the Comarca de Saja-Nansa in western Cantabria. In the past it was a draught breed, much used for transport of goods to and from the ports of the Cantabrian coast; it is now reared for meat, but is still used in traditional sport of arrastre de piedra, or "stone-dragging". Despite its geographic proximity, it is not closely related to the other cattle breed of Cantabria, the Pasiega.

Betizu

The Betizu is a breed of small mountain cattle which live in a semi-feral state in some mountainous parts of the Basque Country in both Spain and France. It is classified as an endangered breed by both the Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, the agriculture ministry of Spain, and by the Conservatoire des Races d'Aquitaine in France.

Zamorano-Leonés Spanish breed of donkey

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Majorera donkey Spanish breed of donkey

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Terreña Spanish breed of cattle

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Palmera cattle cattle breed

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Menorquina cattle cattle breed from Menorca

The Menorquina is an endangered breed of cattle from the Mediterranean island of Menorca, in the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It belongs to the group of convex-profiled red cattle, whose distribution across the northern Mediterranean region is thought to have followed the path of the Bell-Beaker Culture. It is one of only two autochthonous Spanish breeds of dairy cattle, the other being the Pasiega. The milk is particularly suitable for cheese production, and is used to make Mahón cheese, which has DOP status.

Albera (cattle)

The Albera is an endangered breed of small cattle indigenous to the Albera Massif, which divides Catalonia from France and lies partly in the comarca of Alt Empordà in the Catalan province of Girona, and partly in the comarca of Vallespir in the French département of Pyrénées-Orientales. The cattle are highly resistant to cold, though susceptible to heat, and are well adapted to the steep terrain of the massif.

Bruna dels Pirineus cattle breed

The Bruna dels Pirineus, Spanish: 'Bruna de los Pirineos', is a breed of cattle from the south-eastern Pyrenees, in the northern part of Catalonia. It derives from cross-breeding of local cattle with Swiss Braunvieh stock imported in the nineteenth century through France and through the Val d'Aran. It is distributed throughout the northern comarcas of Catalonia, Alta Ribagorça, Alt Urgell, Berguedà, Cerdanya, Pallars Jussà, Pallars Sobirà, Ripollès, Solsonès and Val d'Aran. The Bruna dels Pirineus constitutes about 80% of the beef herd of Catalonia.

Pirenaica cattle breed

The Pirenaica, Basque: 'Behi-gorri', is a breed of beef cattle indigenous to the Pyrenees of north-eastern Spain. It is distributed mainly in the autonomous communities of Navarre and the Basque Country, but is present in much of the northern part of the country. It is well adapted to the mountainous terrain and humid climate of the area. It came close to extinction in twentieth century, but is not now at risk.

References

  1. 1 2 Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN   9789251057629. Accessed January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Breed data sheet: Pasiega / Spain (Cattle). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed July 2020.
  3. Raza bovina Pasiega: Datos Morfológicos (in Spanish). Ministerio de Agriculturo, Pesca y Alimentación. Accessed July 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Miguel Fernández Rodríguez, Mariano Gómez Fernández, Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, Silvia Adán Belmonte, Miguel Jiménez Cabras (eds.) (2009). Guía de campo de las razas autóctonas españolas (in Spanish). Madrid: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino. ISBN   9788449109461.
  5. Jesús P. Del Río (6 June 2007). La vaca pasiega autóctona será incluida en el Catálogo Oficial de Razas (in Spanish). El Diario Montañés. Accessed July 2020.
  6. Raza bovina Pasiega: Datos Generales (in Spanish). Ministerio de Agriculturo, Pesca y Alimentación. Accessed July 2020.
  7. Marleen Felius (1995). Cattle Breeds: An Encyclopedia. Doetinchem, Netherlands: Misset. ISBN   9789054390176.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN   9781780647944.
  9. Elena Espinosa Mangana (5 December 2007). Artículo único. Modificación del anexo del Real Decreto 1682/1997 de 7 de noviembre, por el que se actualiza el Catálogo Oficial de Razas de Ganado de España (in Spanish). Boletín Oficial del Estado299: 51370. Archived 20 August 2008.
  10. S. Celorio, S. de Argüello, F. Barquín, M. J. Crespo, N. Chomón, C. Cimadevilla, L. A. Calderón, J. Cañón (2011). Caracterización estructural de las explotaciones de ganado bovino de raza Pasiega (in Spanish). Archivos de Zootecnia60 (231): 409–412. doi:10.4321/S0004-05922011000300023.