Livo sheep

Livo
Conservation status FAO (2007): extinct[1]:69
Country of origin Italy
Distribution province of Como
Use meat
Traits
Weight
  • Male: 70 kg[2]:239
  • Female: 50–55 kg[2]:239
Height
  • Male: 70–75 cm[2]:239
  • Female: 65–70 cm[2]:239
Wool color straw-coloured
Face color pale
Horn status hornless in both sexes

The Livo is a rare Italian breed of domestic sheep. It takes its name from the Val di Livo, in the province of Como, in Lombardy in northern Italy. Most of the data on the breed dates to 1983. Its conservation status is not clear; it may be extinct.

History

The origins of the Livo are unknown. It originates in the Val di Livo, in the province of Como, in Lombardy in northern Italy, and is named for the Livo river or for the comune of Livo. It shows similarity to the Ciavenasca breed of the Valchiavenna, in the province of Sondrio further to the north. It may have been influenced by Merinolandschaf (Württemberger) stock imported to the southern part of the area of Lake Como in the 1950s, and possibly also by lop-eared Alpine breeds such as the Bergamasca and the Brianzola.[2]:238

Data on the breed dates to 1983, when there were approximately 500 head. The Livo was, but is no longer, among the autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution officially recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture.[3] A herd-book is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders; it has been empty for many years.[2]:239 In 2007 the Livo was classified by the FAO as "extinct".[1]:69

Characteristics

The Livo is well adapted to its mountain environment, where pastures may be very steep.[2]:239[4] The coat is straw-coloured, and extends onto the forehead and the upper part of the legs. The breed has a low twinning rate, about 20–25%.[2]:239

Use

The Livo is kept mainly for meat production; lambs are slaughtered at a weight of 10–12 kg.[2]:239 The milk is just sufficient for the lambs. Wool yield is some 2–2.5 kg per year; it is of mediocre quality.[2]:239

References

  1. 1 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 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. ISBN 9788850652594.
  3. ↑ Laura La Torre (16 February 2007). Disciplinare del Registro Anagrafico delle popolazioni ovine e caprine autoctone a limitata diffusione (in Italian). Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali. Accessed January 2017.
  4. ↑ Breed data sheet: Livo/Italy. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed January 2017.
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