Albera (cattle)

The Albera is an endangered breed of small cattle indigenous to the Albera Massif, which divides Catalonia from France and lies partly in the comarca of Alt Empordà in the Catalan province of Girona, and partly in the comarca of Vallespir in the French département of Pyrénées-Orientales. The cattle are highly resistant to cold, though susceptible to heat, and are well adapted to the steep terrain of the massif.

Albera

Albera cow near the Tour de la Massane, in the commune of Argelès-sur-Mer.
Conservation status	FAO (2007): endangered-maintained
Other names	Alberes Massanaise
Country of origin	Spain, France
Distribution	Albera Massif
Standard	Departamento de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Natural (in Spanish)
Use	meat, vegetation management
Traits
Weight	Male: 350 kg Female: 275 kg
Height	Male: 126 cm Female: 121 cm
Coat	variable
Horn status	small, half-moon-shaped
Cattle Bos (primigenius) taurus

The two types, Albera Negra and Albera Fagina

History

Although the presence of a cattle breed in the Albera Massif was noted in the nineteenth century, the first description of the Albera dates from 1957. At that time three sub-types were distinguished within the breed: a dark-coated type; a variable paler type; and a third type deriving from cross-breeding with Braunvieh stock. More recently, the types are considered to be two: the Negra, or dark type, and the Fagina, or paler type. In 1999 the Fagina type was found to be genetically closer to the Bruna de los Pirineos breed than to the Albera Negra type.

A breeders' association, the Associació de Ramaders de la Vaca de l'Albera, was founded in 2008. The Albera breed received official recognition on 27 July 2011; a breed standard was approved, and a herd book established. At the end of 2014 the total population was recorded as 763, of which 618 were female and 145 male.

Description of the race

The Albera cow lives in almost complete freedom and bases its diet on the vegetation of the forests and meadows within its reach, with a special predilection for the fruits and tender buds of the beech (for this reason it is also called fagina), and at certain times of the year a contribution of supplementary food is made. There are two varieties, the so-called phagina and the black, and between the two they currently do not reach 300 individuals, although the phagin animals predominate more than the black ones.

It is a strong and resistant breed, with a not very relevant meat aptitude, very well adapted to the cold of winter, agile and of small stature, which allows it to move through very rough terrain. This adaptation allows it to be useful in forest clearing and fire prevention.

The head has a massive and elongated appearance, the eyes are prominent and the facial region is elongated. The nose is usually pigmented in black or edged in light. The horns are mostly crescent shaped or short hooked, discrete in size, white with black tips and usually serrated in adults. The neck is long and flattened.

The trunk is flattened, narrow and deep, with a prominent and split cross. The back and loin are poorly muscled and have a tendency to saddle. The belly is voluminous and the rump has a horizontal profile. The tail stud is abundant. The mammary system is rudimentary, covered with fine and long hair.

The limbs are strong, with well-defined joints. The hair is abundant, with great chromatic variety, from black to blond, with gradual discolouration of the lower areas of the trunk, slat, ears, skull base and bangs. The production of calves is very poor, as a calf is born every two years, in the mountains, without the presence of the shepherd.

Needs of the Albera cow

The necessary conditions and infrastructure to be able to install the cow on a farm are: Availability of water (1 point of water every 10 - 40 ha); Food for the winter; Closed to prevent the cow from leaving and to be able to regulate the area we want it to graze; Covered to place sick cows; Determination of the livestock load that can absorb the inheritance, and Hose handling to carry out sanitation and controls.

At the livestock load level, several values are given: Livestock load to qualify for the Aids for the Promotion of Pasture in Undergrowth in Priority Protection Perimeters CR = 0.2 - 1.4 UBM/ha; Livestock load according to FOC Verd II: Forest fire risk management program (Jordi Peix and Masip) CR = 0.34 UBM/ha. With the previous livestock loads, it would be possible to clear the forest, but if what you are looking for is for the cows to be self-sufficient on the farm, you will have to go to lower densities, of the order of one cow every 8 or 10 ha.

Characteristics

• Very defined joints.
• Strong limbs.
• Abundant hair with a lot of color variation.
• They only raise one calf every two years.
• Long, flattened neck.
• Horns in the form of a short hook or half moon.
• Low height
• Low muscled loin.
• Mammary system covered with hair.

Use and management

The Albera is highly resistant to cold, though susceptible to heat, and is well adapted to the steep terrain of the Albera Massif. The cattle are kept year-round in semi-feral conditions, at an altitude between 200 and 1000 metres, foraging for food including the shoots and mast of the beech trees of the massif. They have little contact with man, and little productive capacity: cows calve every two years, and produce barely enough milk for the calf; meat yield is very low, of the order of 35–40%. The cattle are used in vegetation management: by clearing undergrowth they help to prevent forest fires.