Apennine

Other Names: Appenninica, Bariscianese, Chietina Varzese, Perugina del piano

This breed was found in the 70’s in central Italy, mainly in Toscana, Emilia, Umbria, arche, Abruzzi regions of Italy; crossbreeding the local breed with other Italian or exotic breeds such as: Bergamasca and Ile-de-France. It is a medium wool breed kept primarily for meat production. It is polled and has semi-lopped ears. There are an estimated 250,000 heads, spread out over central and southern Italy.

Description and management:

Rams and ewes are polled.

Large frame:

	Rams	Ewes
Weight (kg)	78	56
Withers H. (cm)	77	69
Trunk L. (cm)	79	73

The breed is reared in small or medium size flocks, that usually are not the only economic source of the farm.

Production:

The main products are:

• Lean lamb: slaughtered at 50-60 days of age (live weight=15-22 kg);
• Wool: fiber diameter 30-35 microns ; fleece weight 3.5 kg in the rams and 2.5 kg in the ewes;

Reference:

Asso.Na.Pa. 1997. Caratteri tipici ed indirizzi di miglioramento della razze APPENNINICA. Asso.na.pa, Roma (Italy).

Prof. Francesco Panella, Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche dell’Università degli Studi di Perugia.

Photographs:

Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, provided by: Dott. Paolo Bani, Istituto di Zootecnica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense, 84, 29100 Piacenza, ITALY

Pier Davide Pozzo, Lane d’Italia, Corso G. Pella, 16, 13900 Briella Italy