Sarda pig

The Sarda or Suino Sardo (Sardinian: Porcu Sardu) is a breed of domestic pig from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, Italy.[3] It is raised mainly in the provinces of Ogliastra and Nuoro, but is also present in those of Medio Campidano and Sassari and in the Sarrabus-Gerrei sub-region. The Sarda breed was officially recognised by ministerial decree on 8 June 2006 and became the sixth autochthonous pig breed recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry.[4]

Sarda
Conservation status
Other names
  • Suino Sardo
  • Porcu Sardu
Country of originItaly
Traits
Weight
  • Male:
    100 kg[3]
Notes
Breed standard
  • Pig
  • Sus domesticus
Engraving of a Sardinian pig, from Francesco Cetti, I quadrupedi di Sardegna, 1774
Two Sardinian pigs

History

The earliest detailed description of Sardinian pigs was written by Francesco Cetti in 1774, in his I quadrupedi di Sardegna:[5]

What is most striking on first seeing it is the magnificence of its tail: it is not twisted, as is usual, nor short and naked, but hangs thick and straight to below the knee, [and is] thickly covered with bristle; it looks like the tail of a horse. Equally thick bristle covers the whole body, but on the ridge of the spine, the bristles stand upright almost like a blade, as far as half-way along the back; above the loins there is another threatening tuft of them.

Both the description and the accompanying illustration are comparable to present-day Sarda pigs[6] and to the modern breed standard.

Management of the Sarda pig is almost always completely open-range; the pigs are allowed to range freely in wooded mountain areas, often including public land, where they feed on acorns, chestnuts and roots. Additional feed is given only in the summer, when natural sources of food are scarce. Pigmen train the pigs to come at their call to the usual feeding-place; feed is often given directly on the ground, or at the side of the road.[1]

The herdbook was established in 2006,[7] and is kept by the Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini, the Italian national association of pig breeders. At the end of 2012 there were 575 pigs registered.[8]

References
  1. Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. ISBN 9788850652594. p. 448–50.
  2. 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 April 2011.
  3. Breed data sheet: Sarda/Italy. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed May 2014.
  4. Norme tecniche del Libro Genealogico e del Registro Anagrafico della specie suina: Allegato 1 a D.M. 11255 del 13 June 2013 (in Italian). Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali. pp. 8–9. Accessed May 2014.
  5. Francesco Cetti (1774). I quadrupedi di Sardegna (in Italian). Sassari: Piattoli. p. 87.
    Ciò, che più ferisce al primo vederlo, è la splendidezza della sua coda: non è torta, come suole, nè breve, ed ignuda, ma pende diritta, grossa, lunga oltre al ginocchio, piena di setole; pare la coda di un cavallo. Uguale abbondanza di setole ricuopre tutto il corpo, ma sopra il fil della schiena le setole istanno ritte quasi una lamina, infino alla metà della schiena; sopra i lombi ne esce un altro fiocco minaccioso.
  6. S. Porcu, E. Daga, S. Pintus, M. G. Usai, R. Comunian and S. Ligios (2007). Il suino di razza Sarda: storia, realtà e prospettive (in Italian). Conference papers from "Il suino Nero Siciliano ecotipo dei nebrodi: le razze suine autoctone italiane dal sapore ai sapori", Longi (ME), 5 January 2007. Accessed May 2014.
  7. 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.
  8. Andrea Cristini, et al. (23 June 2013). Relazione del comitato direttivo alla assemblea generale dei soci (in Italian). Rome: Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini. Archived 7 May 2014.


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