Conservation status FAO (2007): endangered Country of origin Spain | Other names Basque: Behi terreña | |
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Distribution Álava, Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa Standard Consejero de Agricultura y Pesca (in Basque and Spanish) Use Formerly: triple-purpose, meat, milk and draught
Now: meat Similar Betizu, Berrenda en negro, Pirenaica, Pasiega cattle, Pajuna cattle | ||
Euskadi directo kuartango feria perretxiko y vaca terre a eitb com
The Terreña, Basque: Behi terreña, is an endangered breed of mountain cattle indigenous to the autonomous community of the Basque Country in northern Spain. It is distributed mostly in the provinces of Álava and Bizkaia, with some localised populations in Gipuzkoa.
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Robinfood tortilla de alcachofas rosbif de ternera terre a
History
The Terreña originates in the northern part of the province of Álava and the southern part of that of Bizkaia; some are found in the comarca of Enkarterri in Bizkaia, and there are some localised populations in Gipuzkoa. The Terreña was formerly found in large numbers, and was the most numerous breed in these areas; in the mid-twentieth century there were over 15,000 head.:158 The industrialisation of agriculture and depopulation of rural areas in the latter part of that century led to an acute fall in numbers,:158 and in 1991 the population was reported to be 208 head. Conservation efforts began in the 1990s. The Terreña breed received official recognition on 9 December 2003.:158
The Terreña is among the breeds classified as "at risk of extinction" by the Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente, the Spanish ministry of agriculture. At the end of 2014 the total population was recorded as 2474, of which 2260 were female and 214 male.
Use and management
The Terreña was formerly a triple-purpose breed, used as a draught animal and for milk and meat production, but is now raised only for meat. Terreño oxen were in the past used in the traditional Basque rural sport of idi probak, or stone-pulling.:158
The cattle are traditionally managed extensively, ranging freely on mountain pasture from April to November, and spending the winter months at pasture in the neighbouring valleys.:159