Pasiega

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.

Pasiega
Conservation status
Other names
  • Roja Pasiega
Country of originSpain
DistributionValles Pasiegos of Cantabria
StandardConsejería 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 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

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 January 2017.
  2. 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. 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. 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 Estado 299: 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 Zootecnia 60 (231): 409–412. doi:10.4321/S0004-05922011000300023.
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