Italian Landrace

The Italian Landrace (Italian: Landrace Italiana) is an Italian breed of domestic pig. It derives from the Danish Landrace breed developed in Denmark at the end of the nineteenth century.[2] 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.[3]: 438  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.[4]

Italian Landrace
Conservation statusFAO (2007): not at risk[1]: 70 
Other namesLandrace Italiana
Country of originItaly
StandardAssociazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini
Traits
  • Pig
  • Sus domesticus

History

Landrace pigs were imported into Italy from Scandinavia after the end of the Second World War.[3]: 437 [5]: 625  The Italian strain has been bred for size specifically to produce the "Italian heavy pig" used to make prosciutto and other salumi. The smaller Belgian Landrace is also raised in Italy, usually for fresh meat.[3]: 437 

A genealogical herdbook was established in 1970,[6] and is kept by the Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini, the Italian national association of pig breeders. In 2007 there were 11,749 pigs registered;[3]: 438  at the end of 2012 the total was 5959.[7] Most of the population is concentrated in the Po Valley, where heavy pigs are mostly raised.[3]: 437 

Characteristics

The Italian Landrace is a large pig, and very long in the body due to the presence of two or three supernumerary vertebrae – it has 15 or 16 rather than the usual 13. It is lop-eared; the hair is white, the skin is unpigmented.[3]: 438 

Use

Meat production from the Italian Landrace is normally from first-generation crosses with either the Large White Italiana or the Duroc Italiana breed, slaughtered at a weight of 160–170 kg; almost all of it is used to make preserved meat products. The pigs are usually farmed intensively.[3]: 438 

References
  1. 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 May 2014.
  2. Breed data sheet: Landrace Italiano/Italy. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed May 2014.
  3. Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. ISBN 9788850652594.
  4. Norme tecniche del Libro Genealogico e del Registro Anagrafico della specie suina: Allegato 1 a D.M. 11255 del 13 June 2013 (in Italian). Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali. p. 6. Accessed May 2014.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Andrea Cristini, et al. (23 June 2013). Relazione del comitato direttivo alla assemblea generale dei soci (in Italian). Rome: Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini. Archived 7 May 2014.
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