Montesina

Montesina

The Montesina is a native Spanish sheep (Ovis aries Linnaeus, 1758) with a main aptitude for the production of meat and milk.

Systematics –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Animalia,
Phylum Chordata,
Mammalia class,
Order Artiodactyla,
Suborder Ruminantia,
Bovidae family,
Subfamily Caprinae,
Genus Ovis,
O. aries species,
Montesina breed.

Geographic and Area Distribution –
The Montesina is a native Spanish breed in danger of extinction. The name Montesina responds to the characterization of the area where the breed is exploited, often in mountainous areas. The area of greatest diffusion is the province of Granada and south of the province of Jaén.

Origins and History –
The Montesina is a sheep breed also known as Pecora di Monte, Sevillana, Ojinegra or Granadina; Montesina owes its name to the fact that it was traditionally raised in mountainous areas such as Sierra Morena and Sierra Mágina.
It is an ancient race that comes from the Iberian trunk, it has such strength that allows it to live in extremely harsh places, where other races could hardly survive.
Due to the partial abandonment of its breeding, the number of animals has significantly decreased, which is why it has been included in the group of Indigenous Breeds in Danger of Endangerment of the Official Catalog of Cattle Breeds of Spain, so that this peculiar breed does not disappear. This objective is also taken up by the National Association of Montesina Sheep Breeders (ACRIMON).
It must be emphasized that the true custodians of the Montesina breed are the breeders who have maintained this natural, cultural, social and genetic heritage in the area over time.
In the 80s it was a breed that numbered around 300,000 specimens, but the introduction of foreign breeds and crossings have progressively relegated this breed to oblivion until reaching a worrying number of 1,366 specimens which were bred in purity.
The factors that allowed this sheep breed to be at serious risk of threat, among others, were:
– Change of land use from breeder to agriculture, through intense reforestation (olive, almond, pistachio trees), in the areas where it is traditionally farmed.
– Destructuring and geographical fragmentation of the sector, which has led to the fact that there is no cooperative structure that makes a common defense of the product, the lamb of Montesino.
– General intensification of production models, which is to the detriment of these hardy breeds.
Currently there are 10,133 females and 361 males distributed in 26 farms.
The Montesina sheep is managed by the Montesina Sheep Breeders Association which was recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishing of the Andalusian Regional Government on 17 March 2003 for keeping the breed’s herd book. Thanks to the effort made by the association and the help lines of the Rural Development Plans of the various Autonomous Communities in which this breed is raised, there is currently a census which gives good hopes for the possible recovery of this sheep breed. With the reopening of the Herd Book Foundation Register in January 2016; and the incorporation of the herds of the Montesino della Murciana breed, the census had one of its greatest successes.

Morphology –
The Montesina breed groups sheep with a convex or convex profile, slightly elongated proportions and medium size. In general, they are harmonious animals in form.
The average weight is around 65 kg for males and 48 kg for females.
The coat is white with characteristic black spots around the eyes, on the tips of the ears, in the nose and, generally, on the distal part of the extremities. In general it is a horned breed in both sexes, although individuals with horns may appear in both males and females

Productive attitude –
The Montesina breed is an extraordinarily hardy sheep which is raised, in flocks of 200-300 heads, mainly for meat. It is raised in mountainous areas located mainly in protected areas (Sierra Mágina and Sierra Morena); breeding often takes place above 1,000 meters, where it currently survives in a poor and hostile environment, perhaps the worst of those occupied by Spanish sheep, in extreme weather conditions and with little rainfall. Livestock feeding is fundamentally based on resources obtained from grazing.

Guido Bissanti

Sources-
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon , 2010. Atlas of native breeds. Cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs reared in Italy, Edagricole-New Business Media, Bologna.

Photo source:
– https://ovejamontesina.webgescan.com/