Bovine Breeding in Spain

The Spain is a country of breeding where the bovine race holds a very important place. The geographical context worked many races bouchères. On the other hand, the races autochtones are the bad ones with dairy averages, also of the purely dairy races were been essential to ensure the food of agribusiness industry.

History

Origins

Spain owes its bovine races with its history and several bovine branches coexist, having been métissés during their history:
  • fair Branch and red ( tronco turdetano ): locally domesticated in the north of the country or arrived with the Ibère S. It is localized in the mountainous solid masses of north: the Pyrenees, Asturies, Cantabrie for the blondes and in south-west for the reds: Andalusia, Extremadure.
  • Iberian Branch ( tronco iberico ): it is resulting from the local domestication of the Aurochs. It is localized in the great south: Extrémadure, Andalusia, Mancha…
  • brown Branch ( tronco cantabro ): it was introduced into the Mediterranean islands in the Antiquité. (by the Greeks? , Phéniciens?) and by the Arabs on the continent during the 7th century and 8th century. It influenced the races of the North-West, of the center is and remained almost pure on the islands.
These various sources inevitably caused interbreedings, giving the long list of the current Spanish races.

Evolution

In the south-west of the country, the system of breeding in Ganaderia worked races which evolved/moved in quasi autarky. The herds of the land great landowners were gathered annually for the marking and the sale of calves. The remainder (coupling, birth…) happened almost in a wild state. It is still almost the case in the ganaderias of fighting bulls. However the reproducers are selected all the same with many care on their qualities. This type of breeding worked races rustic, good walkers and ready to resist one dry period and to reconstitute their reserves. They are the races of the Iberian branch and the red races of the fair and red branch. Their history is also that of the fighting bulls.

See also: History of the bullfight

In the north of the country, the wet oceanic climate is more favorable to the breeding. However, it is an mountainous area. It results from it from the races from small to average cuts, has multiple destination: production of milk, meat, labor force. They are the fair races of the fair and red branch and the crossing of these races with the brown branch.
Dans the islands, the old settlement created original races, raised in almost autarky, without contribution exogenic. Thus, the vaca will palmera with the the Canaries, the mallorquina and the menorquina with the Balearic Islands are they races with dominant meat and work.

Export

The first concerned was a branch of the fair branch which made stock with the Canary islands. It gave the race Vaca will palmera.
Immédiatement after the Discovered of America, the Conquistadores cross the ocean in mass. They are accompanied by their cattle population intended to feed them. They fear to eat unknown local food. They are primarily bovines of the fair Rameau and red. They will thrive in immense the Haciendas and will form the base of the herds of Central America and the south. A generic name indicates this cattle of old origin: criollo. The race Texas Longhorn of the cow-boys of it is resulting. Individuals of the Iberian Rameau are then introduced to ensure the tauromachic tradition. Their genetic influence on the cattle criollo is indisputable.
Certains of these animals is escaped, constituting maroon herds in South America in particular.

Recent imports

Races known as ameliorative intervened to increase the productivity.
En breeding butcher, the British races (hereford, angus, shorthorn), Belgian (white blue) and Frenchwomen (charolaise, blonde of Aquitaine or limousine) dominates. They are high in intensive breeding in pure race, but also to produce reproducers for the breeding in crossing with races autochtones. These interbreedings coupled with the mechanization of the campaigns involved a very important fall of the indigenous livestock in pure race. The race will mantequera leonesa disappeared and of many others failed the being. Today, a program of protection of the traditional races was set up. It makes it possible to help the stockbreeders in pure race has to find good reproducers while managing the risk of consenguinity as well as possible.
En dairy breeding, the races brown and simmental were introduced at the beginning of the 20th century to improve the quantity of milk. These races are especially high in the north of the country, in the mountainous area where the rich pastures make it possible to produce a milk of quality for cheese-making manufacture. Elsewhere, it is omnipresent the holstein which ensures the dairy production of noncheese-making agribusiness industry (yahourts, dairy produces…) in intensive system except ground.

Manpower and production

Dairy breeding

Historically, the Spanish breeding is marked by mixed races autochtones, giving a small quantity of rich milk transformed into cheese. It is dependant on the mixed-farming and artisanal cheese dairies. Signs of qualities (AOC) recently recognize quality and the originality of this production marginale
Avec the development of agribusiness industry, it was intensified with the contribution of highly specialized races.

Breeding butcher

Traditionally, the Spanish bovines resulted from small animal breedings of mountainous areas exploited in mixed-farming, or extensive breedings of great dimension in the south of the country. Today, the majority of the meat comes from intensive breedings, with crossing of mothers resulting from Spanish races and fathers of very productive races bouchères. However, of the signs of origins are granted the meat resulting from breedings of races autochtones. Thus, the manpower of the old races is more or less stabilized.

Races

Races autochtones

- connects fair: Betizu, Pirenaica, Rubia gallega, Vaca will palmera.
- connects red: Berrenda colorada, Berrenda will negra, Retinta del Guadalquivir.
  • brown Branch: Mallorquina, Menorquina.
  • Crossings fair branch and brown branch: Asturiana of the montaña, Asturiana of los Valles, Cachena, Pajuna.

Imported races

races with restricted manpower

Albère, Alistana sanbresa, Almanzoreña, Blanca Cacereña, Bociblanca, Carasparrena, Caldelana, Campurriana, Canaria, Corriente, Lebaniega, Limiana, Lorquina, Mantequera leonesa, Monchina, Mostrenca or Palurda, Murciana levantina, Pallaresa, Pasiega, Raza marismeña, Salinera andaluza, Santander, Serrana will negra, Terreña, Toro de Casta Navarra, Tudanca, Verinesa, Vianesa.

Notes and references of the article

See too

Related articles

  • List of the bovine races
  • Bovine

External bonds and documents

  • (be) Site of the Spanish company of genetic resources
  • Liste of the Spanish bovine races indexed by FAO.

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