Nicastrese goat

Nicastrese

Conservation status	FAO (2007): critical[1]
Other names	Jèlina
Country of origin	Italy
Distribution	Calabria
Standard	MIPAAF
Use	dual-purpose, milk and meat[2]
Traits
Weight	Male: 78 kg[3] Female: 46 kg[3]
Height	Male: 78 cm[3] Female: 71 cm[3]
Skin colour	grey-black, pink on underparts
Coat	grey-black with white underparts
Face colour	black with lateral white stripes
Horn status	usually horned[4]
Beard	usually bearded[4]
Tassels	usually present, sometimes on one side only[4]
Goat Capra aegagrus hircus

The Nicastrese is an Italian breed of domestic goat indigenous to Calabria, in southern Italy. It originates in the province of Catanzaro, and takes its name from the former town of Nicastro, which since 1968 has been part of Lamezia Terme. The Nicastrese is raised mainly in the area of origin, but also in the neighbouring provinces of Cosenza and Reggio Calabria. Photographic evidence suggests that it may be closely connected to the old "Araba" breed of the area.^[2]

The Nicastrese 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.^[5][6] The breed was officially recognised in June 2004.^[3] On 1 January 2002 the total number for the breed was estimated at 8000;^[2] at the end of 2013 the registered population was variously reported as 4975^[7] and as 4454.^[8]

Use

The average milk yield of the Nicastrese is 180 litres in 150 days for primiparous, 220 litres in 210 days for secondiparous, and 260 litres in 210 days for pluriparous, nannies.^[3] The milk averages 4.3% fat, 3.5% protein and 4.7% lactose.^[4] It is used to make caprino cheeses such as the Giuncata di capra calabra, and mixed cheeses such as Cacioricotta and Canestrato, which in Calabria have PAT status, and Pecorino Crotonese, which has DOP status.^[2]

References

1. 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 June 2014.
2. Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. ISBN 9788850652594. p. 377–78.
3. Lorenzo Noè, Alessandro Gaviraghi, Andrea D'Angelo, Adriana Bonanno, Adriana Di Trana, Lucia Sepe, Salvatore Claps, Giovanni Annicchiarico, Nicola Bacciu (2005). Le razze caprine d'Italia (in Italian); in: Giuseppe Pulina (2005). L' alimentazione della capra da latte. Bologna: Avenue Media. ISBN 9788886817493. p. 381–435. Archived 5 October 2014.
4. Norme tecniche della popolazione caprina "Nicastrese": standard della razza (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia. Accessed June 2014.
5. 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.
6. Le razze ovine e caprine in Italia (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Ufficio centrale libri genealogici e registri anagrafici razze ovine e caprine. p. 104. Accessed June 2014.
7. Consistenze Provinciali della Razza Q2 Nicastrese Anno 2013 (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Banca dati. Accessed June 2014.
8. Breed data sheet: Nicastrese/Italy. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2014.