Other names Valgerola Use milk Rank Breed | Country of origin Italy Scientific name Capra aegagrus hircus | |
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Conservation status FAO (2007): not at risk Distribution Province of Sondrio
Province of Bergamo
Province of Como
Province of Lecco Standard MIPAAF (LG)
MIPAAF (RA) Similar Jonica, Garganica, Rossa Mediterranea, Girgentana, Messinese | ||
Giuseppe e i formaggi di capra orobica
The Orobica or Valgerola is a breed of domestic goat from the Val Gerola in the province of Sondrio, in the Bergamo Alps of northern Italy. It is raised in the Val Gerola and the Valchiavenna in the province of Sondrio, in the Alto Lario Occidentale, the Valsassina and the Val Varrone in the province of Como, and in the upper Val Brembana in the Province of Bergamo. The origins of the breed are unknown; it is first documented at the beginning of the twentieth century. The Orobica is one of the eight autochthonous Italian goat breeds for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.
Contents
- Giuseppe e i formaggi di capra orobica
- Mostra regionale della capra orobica 2014 alta valsassina
- Characteristics
- The Valgerola
- References
At the end of 2013 the registered population was 1109.
Mostra regionale della capra orobica 2014 alta valsassina
Characteristics
The Orobica goat is of medium size; males weigh on average 80 kg, females about 65 kg. Both sexes have long horns and erect ears. The coat is lustrous, composed of fine long hair, with a colour varying from uniform ash-grey to violet-beige.
The Valgerola
For reasons that are not clear, the Valgerola, while always described as a synonym of the Orobica, is separately reported to DAD-IS, and is included in the list of goat breeds of limited distribution of the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture. Numbers are reported by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, but no data has ever been entered. There are two official breed standards, one for the "Razza Orobica" and the other for the "Orobica o Valgerola".
