Valais Blackneck

Valais Blackneck

Conservation status	FAO (2007):      Europe: not at risk [1] : 138       Italy: critical [1] : 68       Switzerland: endangered-maintained [1] : 113  DAD-IS (2025):      Austria: at risk/critical [2]      Germany: at risk/critical [3]      Italy: at risk/critical [4]      Switzerland: at risk/endangered-maintained [2]
Other names	Walliser Schwarzhalsziege Gletschergeiss Col Noir du Valais Chèvre des Glaciers Race de Viège Vallesana Vallese
Country of origin	Switzerland [5] Austria [2] Germany [3] Italy [4] Netherlands [6]
Distribution	mainly in the Valais
Standard	OZIV (Switzerland, in German) SZZV (Switzerland, in German) MIPAAF (Italy, in Italian)
Use	meat milk vegetation management
Traits
Weight	Male: minimum 75 kg [7] Female: minimum 55 kg [7]
Height	Male: 85 cm [7] Female: 75 cm [7]
Skin colour	often pale
Coat	black foreparts, white hindparts
Hair colour	black, white
Face colour	black
Horn status	horned in both sexes
Goat Capra aegagrus hircus

Engraving of a Valais Blackneck from the Journal des Eleveurs, 1905

The Valais Blackneck is a Swiss breed of domestic goat from the canton of Valais. It has a distinctive colouring, black from the nose to behind the shoulder and white from there to the tail.

It is distributed in southern Switzerland – the largest concentration is in the area of Visp (Viège) – and in neighbouring areas of northern Italy; it is present in modest numbers in Austria and Germany. It is known by many names, including German : Walliser Schwarzhalsziege or Gletschergeiss; French : Col Noir du Valais, Chèvre des Glaciers or Race de Viège; and Italian : Vallesana or Vallese.

History

The Walliser Schwarzhalsziege is a traditional breed of the Swiss canton of Valais. A herd-book was established in 1920. ^[5]

Within Italy, the Vallesana is raised in the provinces of Verbania and Vercelli. ^[8] It is one of the forty-three autochthonous Italian goat breeds of limited distribution for which a herd-book is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep- and goat-breeders. ^{[9] [10]}

At the end of 2013 the total numbers for the breed were 3000–3400 in Switzerland and either 191 ^[11] or 446 ^[4] in Italy. In 2012 Austria reported 100–300 head ^[2] and Germany 429. ^[3]

Characteristics

The Valais Blackneck is of medium size; nannies stand on average 75 cm at the withers, with a body weight of at least 55 kg, billies are on average about 10 cm taller and weigh no less than 75 kg. ^[7] The colouring of the coat is distinctive: coal black from the nose to behind the shoulder and snow white from there to the tail; the division between the two colours is clearly defined, and should be within ±3 cm of the point where the last rib meets the spine. ^[12] The fore hooves are black, the hind ones pale. ^[12] The coat hair is long and the skin is fine; ^[12] horns are present in both sexes, as is a black beard; the horns are larger in billies. ^[7]

The English Bagot is similarly coloured, and has been thought to derive from this breed by descent from one presented to Richard II of England in 1387; ^{[13] : 420} DNA studies have shown that the Bagot originated in Spain. ^{[14] : 360}

Use

The Valais Blackneck is reared principally for its meat; ^{[14] : 415} it is not usually milked. ^[15] The milk yield is approximately 500 kg per lactation. ^{[14] : 415} The pelts may be used to make leather goods. ^{[14] : 360}

The goats are also used for vegetation management: they move freely on steep mountain terrain, which they help to keep clear of excess scrub vegetation. ^{[12] [5]}

References

1. Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (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: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN   9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
2. Breed data sheet: Walliser Schwarzhalsziege / Austria (Goat). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed July 2025.
3. Breed data sheet: Walliser Schwarzhals-Ziege / Germany (Goat). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed July 2025.
4. Breed data sheet: Vallesana/Italy. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed July 2025.
5. Breed data sheet: Walliser Schwarzhalsziege / Switzerland (Goat). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed July 2025.
6. Transboundary breed: Valais Blackneck. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed July 2025.
7. Walliser Schwarzhaslziege (in German). Oberwalliser Ziegenzuchtverband. Archived 14 May 2021.
8. Norme tecniche della popolazione caprina "Capra Vallesana": standard della razza (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia. Archived 23 September 2015.
9. Strutture Zootecniche (Dec. 2009/712/CE - Allegato 2 - Capitolo 2) (in Italian). Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali. Section I (e). Archived 4 May 2014.
10. Le razze ovine e caprine in Italia (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Ufficio centrale libri genealogici e registri anagrafici razze ovine e caprine. Archived 21 September 2013.
11. Consistenze Provinciali della Razza 92 Vallesana Anno 2013 (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Banca dati. Archived 3 March 2016.
12. Walliser Schwarzhalsziege (7) (in German). Zollikofen: Schweizerischer Ziegenzuchtverband/Fédération suisse d'élevage caprin/Federazione svizzera d'allevamento caprino. Archived 11 February 2025.
13. Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. ISBN   9788850652594.
14. 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.
15. Walliser Schwarzhalsziege (in German). Zollikofen: Schweizerischer Ziegenzuchtverband/Fédération suisse d'élevage caprin/Federazione svizzera d'allevamento caprino. Archived 28 April 2025.