Valdostana

The Valdostana (also called Chamoisée valdôtaine[3] in French) is an indigenous breed of domestic goat from the autonomous region of Aosta Valley in north-western Italy, from which it takes its name.[4]

Valdostana
Conservation statusFAO (2007): critical[1]
Other namesChamoisée valdôtaine
Country of originItaly
DistributionLazio
StandardMIPAAF
Usemeat, milk, combat
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    85 kg[2]
  • Female:
    65 kg[2]
Height
  • Male:
    80 cm[2]
  • Female:
    75 cm[2]
Horn statuslarge horns in both sexes
  • Goat
  • Capra aegagrus hircus

Description

It was in the past distributed in the Graian and Pennine Alps. It is raised in the Aosta Valley, particularly in the lower Ayas and Lys valleys. In Piedmont, it is raised in the Chiusella, Orco and Susa valleys, in the Metropolitan City of Turin.[4]

It is one of the forty-three autochthonous Italian goat breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep- and goat-breeders.[5] At the end of 2013 the registered population was variously reported as 959[6] and as 856.[7]

Use

The Valdostana is kept both for meat, which is consumed both fresh and preserved in the form of goat salame, of Motsetta or of Violino di Capra; and for milk, which is used for cheese-making.[4] A study in 2002 found the average milk yield to be 249 kg in 197 days.[8]

In the Aosta Valley, it is also much used in the traditional sport of goat-fighting, the Bataille des chèvres. Since 1998 this sport has been regulated by the Association Comité régional des Batailles des chèvres, which organises an annual regional championship.[4] The large horns of the breed are probably the result of selection for this purpose by farmers.[8]

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 June 2014.
  2. Le razze ovine e caprine in Italia (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Ufficio centrale libri genealogici e registri anagrafici razze ovine e caprine. p. 111. Accessed June 2014.
  3. Chamoisée valdôtaine.
  4. Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. ISBN 9788850652594. p. 400–401.
  5. 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.
  6. Consistenze Provinciali della Razza Q5 Valdostana Anno 2013 (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Banca dati. Accessed June 2014.
  7. Breed data sheet: Valdostana/Italy. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2014.
  8. Norme tecniche della popolazione caprina "Valdostana": standard della razza (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia. Accessed June 2014.


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