Allmogekor (singular Allmogeko, [ˈâlːmuːɡɛˌkuː]) are the traditional Swedish breeds of cattle. The word means roughly "rustic cattle".
Individual breeds
editThere are a number of Allmogeko breeds. The herdbook for three of them – the Bohuskulla, the Ringamålako and the Väneko – is kept by the Föreningen Allmogekon,[1][2] which works to conserve these three.[1]
The herd book for the Fjällnära Boskap is kept by the Föreningen för Äldre Svensk Boskap, and that for the Rödkulla by the Sveriges Rödkulleförening.[3]
On its Red List, the Swedish Samarbetsgruppen Lantrasforum (Cooperative Group Landrace Forum) ranks all five of these Allmogeko breeds in the highest risk level, "acutely threatened".[4]
Usage
editThese cattle were used as dual- to triple-purpose breeds, i. e. as breeds which served as draft animals, dairy cattle and beef suppliers. No longer able to compete with modern single-purpose breeds in terms of profit maximization, they are preserved as a cultural heritage, as living gene banks, and as extensive care cattle suited both for young Swedish back-to-the-country families[1] and for conservation projects. The Väneko has been used for conservation grazing in the Hornborgasjön nature reserve, contributing to the conservation of both the reserve and the endangered breed.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Föreningen Allmogekon. Föreningen Allmogekon. Archived 25 February 2013.
- ^ Breeding Organisations or Associations: bovine species. Communication & Information Resource Centre Administrator. Archived 27 April 2009.
- ^ Koraserna (in Swedish). Föreningen Allmogekon. Archived 22 January 2021.
- ^ Rödlistan (in Swedish). Samarbetsgruppen Lantrasforum. Archived 24 November 2020.
- ^ Lantrasdjuren (in Swedish). Länsstyrelsen i Västra Götalands län – Hornborgasjön. Archived 3 April 2014.