{{Short description|Breed of sheep}} {{use dmy dates|date=December 2023}} {{use list-defined references|date=September 2013}} {{Use British English|date=September 2013}} {{Infobox sheep breed | name = Alpagota | image = | image_size = | image_alt = | image_caption = | status = {{nowrap|FAO (2007): not at risk<ref name=barb/>}} | altname = Bellunese{{r|bigi|page=177}} | country = Italy | distribution = {{unbulleted list|Province of Belluno|Neighbouring provinces}} | standard = [http://www.assonapa.it/norme_ecc/OVINI-RA_Standard_WEB/Sandard-Alpagota.htm MIPAAF] | type = | use = Triple-purpose, principally for meat | nickname = | maleweight = 52 kg<ref name=dad/> | femaleweight = 42 kg<ref name=dad/> | maleheight = 67 cm<ref name=dad/> | femaleheight = 57 cm<ref name=dad/> | skincolor = Pink | woolcolor = White | facecolor = White with brown or black mottling | horns = Both sexes are polled (hornless) | note = }}
The '''Alpagota''' is a breed of sheep from the province of Belluno in the Veneto, in north-eastern Italy.<ref name=dad/> It is particularly associated with the historic region of the Alpago, from which it takes its name, and is raised principally in that area.<ref name=aspa/>
==History==
The origins of the Alpagota are unknown.<ref name=rare/> It is raised principally in the historic region of the Alpago, which coincides with the area of the modern comuni of Chies d'Alpago, Farra d'Alpago, Pieve d'Alpago, Puos d'Alpago and Tambre in the south-east of the province of Belluno;<ref name=aspa/> some are raised in the neighbouring provinces of Padova, Pordenone and Treviso. The Alpagota probably shares a common origin with the Lamon breed from the Feltrino, the area around Feltre, some {{nowrap|50 km}} west of the Alpago.<ref name=bigi/> It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.<ref name=aspa/>
Of the twelve local sheep breeds present in the Veneto fifty years ago, only four survive.{{r|bondesan2}} The Alpagota was identified by the European Community as a local breed at risk in the early 1990s,{{r|slow}} and in 1998 received PAT status under the name "Pecora Alpagota".{{r|fardjma}}
In 1960 there were over ten thousand of these sheep; by the year 2000 this had dwindled to about 1600.{{r|bondesan}}. By 2010 there were over 2400,{{r|bondesan2}} and in 2013 the total numbers for the breed were reported as 3363.<ref name=aspa2/>
==Characteristics==
The Alpagota is a small to medium-sized breed with a white face with black markings, no horns and relatively small ears.<ref name=bondesan/>
==Use==
In the past the Alpagota was a triple-purpose breed, reared for meat, milk and wool; it is now kept mainly for meat production. A twentieth century problem farmers faced was the poor conformation of the carcasses and the short time (about one month around Easter) for which a good price was obtainable. In 2002, farmers in the area formed a co-operative and registered a trademark, creating a logo, "Agnello d'Alpago". To take part, the sheep had to be reared in the five municipalities of Alpago and conform to various methods of production criteria. The lambs were to be slaughtered at sixty to eighty days with a live weight of {{convert|22|to|35|kg|lb|-1}}. The Slow Food organisation supported the project and helped promote the breed, marketing the meat and providing information to consumers. The campaign has been a success, with sales spread throughout much of the year, greater awareness of the product and better prices for farmers.<ref name=bondesan/>
==References== <references>
<ref name=aspa>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054642/http://www.assonapa.it/Pubblicazioni/Razze-ovine-caprine-Italia/Razze_Ovine_Caprine_Italia.pdf ''Le razze ovine e caprine in Italia''] (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Ufficio centrale libri genealogici e registri anagrafici razze ovine e caprine, page 41–42. Archived 21 September 2013.</ref>
<ref name=aspa2>[http://www.assonapa.it/Consistenze/Cons_razza.asp?Anno=2013&Cod_razza=F1 Consistenze Provinciali della Razza F1 Alpagota Anno 2013] (in Italian). Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia: Banca dati. Accessed September 2013.</ref>
<ref name=barb>Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20200623201209/http://www.fao.org/3/a1250e/annexes/List%20of%20breeds%20documented%20in%20the%20Global%20Databank%20for%20Animal%20Genetic%20Resources/List_breeds.pdf List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources], annex to: [https://web.archive.org/web/20170110125634/http://www.fao.org/3/a-a1250e.pdf ''The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture'']. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. {{isbn|9789251057629}}. Archived 23 June 2020.</ref>
<ref name=bigi>Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). ''Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia'' (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. {{ISBN|9788850652594}}. p. 177–79.</ref>
<ref name=bondesan>Valerio Bondesan (2011). [http://www.nordgen.org/ngdoc/husdyr/seminar/Island_2011/Bondesan_Valerio.pdf ''Supporting local breed conservation through the linkage with traditional products''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304033938/http://www.nordgen.org/ngdoc/husdyr/seminar/Island_2011/Bondesan_Valerio.pdf |date=4 March 2016 }}, leaflet for the workshop on Socio-economic and Cultural Values of Farm Animal Breeds, 7–9 September 2011, Reykjavik, Iceland. Accessed August 2015.</ref>
<ref name=bondesan2>Valerio Bondesan (2011). [http://www.nordgen.org/ngdoc/husdyr/seminar/Island_2011/Workshop_Proceedings.pdf Supporting local breed conservation through the linkage with traditional products] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034500/http://www.nordgen.org/ngdoc/husdyr/seminar/Island_2011/Workshop_Proceedings.pdf |date=4 March 2016 }}. ''Proceedings of the Workshop on Socio-economic and Cultural Values of Farm Animal Breeds 7th – 9th September 2011 in Reykjavik, Iceland''. {{nowrap|p. 30–31.}} Accessed August 2015.</ref>
<ref name=dad>[http://dad.fao.org/cgi-bin/EfabisWeb.cgi?sid=0b1613ebf16355cf65f6a05b9a65fe25,reportsreport8a_50012306 Breed data sheet: Alpagota/Italy]. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed September 2013.</ref>
<ref name=fardjma>[http://www.alpagocansiglio.eu/images/ricettività/lana_alpago/Agnello_alpago_.pdf Agnello d'Alpago] (in Italian). Tambre: FARDJMA. Accessed August 2015.</ref>
<ref name=rare>J. Errante, L.A. Brambilla, M. Corti, E. Pastore, R. Leonarduzzi (2006). [http://www.associazionerare.it/images/razze/altri_documenti/le%20razze%20ovine%20arco%20alpino%202006.pdf Le razze ovine autoctone a rischio del Valle d'Aosta, Lombardia, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} (in Italian). Associazione RARE. Accessed May 2014.</ref>
<ref name=slow>[http://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/it/presidi-slow-food/agnello-dalpago/ Agnello d'Alpago] (in Italian). Fondazione Slow Food. Accessed August 2015.</ref>
</references>
{{Sheep breeds of Italy}}
Category:Sheep breeds originating in Italy Category:Ark of Taste foods