Finarda

Finarda
Conservation statusFAO (2007): not at risk[1]
Country of originItaly
Distribution
StandardMIPAAF
Useprincipally for meat; also wool
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    100–120 kg[2]
  • Female:
    80–100 kg[2]
Height
  • Male:
    90–100 cm[2]
  • Female:
    85–90 cm[2]
Wool colorwhite
Face colorwhite
Horn statushornless in both sexes

The Finarda is a breed of large domestic sheep from the regions of Lombardy and Piemonte in northern Italy.[3] It is heavy breed raised mainly for meat, although it also yields 4–6 kg of wool per year. It results from cross-breeding the Bergamasca and Biellese breeds.[4][5] It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.[5] However, in 2008 the herdbook was empty, and may in fact never have been activated.[4] Most data for the breed dates from 1983.[4]

The conservation status of the breed was listed as "not at risk" by the FAO in 2007.[1] In 2013 total numbers for the breed were not reported;[6] the population is estimated at 5000 head.[5]

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