Valais Blackneck

Valais Blackneck
Conservation statusFAO (2007): Italy: critical[1]
other countries: not listed
Other names
  • Walliser Schwarzhalsziege
  • Gletschergeiss
  • Col Noir du Valais
  • Chèvre des Glaciers
  • Race de Viège
  • Vallesana
  • Vallese
Country of origin
Distributionmainly in the Valais
Standard
Usemeat, milk, vegetation management
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    minimum 75 kg[6]
  • Female:
    minimum 55 kg[6]
Height
  • Male:
    85 cm[6]
  • Female:
    75 cm[6]
Skin colouroften pale
Coatblack foreparts, white hindparts
Face colorblack
Horn statushorned in both sexes
  • Goat
  • Capra aegagrus hircus
A Valais Blackneck billy
Engraving of a Valais Blackneck from the Journal des Eleveurs, 1905

The Valais Blackneck is a Swiss breed of domestic goat from the canton of Valais. It is distributed in southern Switzerland – the largest concentration is in the area of Visp (Viège) – and in neighbouring areas of northern Italy; it is present in modest numbers in Austria and Germany. It is known by many names, including German: Walliser Schwarzhalsziege or Gletschergeiss; French: Col Noir du Valais, Chèvre des Glaciers or Race de Viège; and Italian: Vallesana or Vallese.

The Valais Blackneck has a distinctive colouring, black from the nose to behind the shoulder and white from there to the tail. The English Bagot goat is similarly coloured, and has been thought to derive from this breed by descent from one presented to Richard II of England in 1387;[7] DNA studies have shown that the Bagot originated in Spain.[8]: 360 

Within Italy, the Vallesana is raised in the provinces of Verbania and Vercelli.[9] 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.[10][11]

At the end of 2013 the total numbers for the breed were 3000–3400 in Switzerland and either 191[12] or 446[5] in Italy. In 2012 Austria reported 100–300 head[3] and Germany 429.[4]

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