Fleckvieh cattle
Encyclopedia
Fleckvieh cattle started in 1830 when original Simmental Cattle
from Switzerland
were imported to Bavaria
and to Austria
to improve the local dual-purpose breeds. At these times, the Simmental cattle were famous for their milk production and draught capacity but were late maturing with little depth and coarse bones. In 1920 the herd-book in Southern Germany
was closed and the Fleckvieh was developed as an independent dual-purpose breed in Southern Germany, Austria, later also in parts of Italy
and France
.
This systematic improvement of the production traits makes Fleckvieh a modern, high productive dual purpose breed that fits the economical needs of today.
Simmental Cattle
Simmental cattle are a versatile breed of cattle originating in the valley of the Simme river, in the Bernese Oberland of western Switzerland.-European origin:...
from Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
were imported to Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
and to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
to improve the local dual-purpose breeds. At these times, the Simmental cattle were famous for their milk production and draught capacity but were late maturing with little depth and coarse bones. In 1920 the herd-book in Southern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
was closed and the Fleckvieh was developed as an independent dual-purpose breed in Southern Germany, Austria, later also in parts of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Breeding aims
The breeding aims now are focused on a "middle of the road type animal" with excellent muscling, good milk production and draught performance. Therefore an excellent performance testing system and a strict breeding programme exists.This systematic improvement of the production traits makes Fleckvieh a modern, high productive dual purpose breed that fits the economical needs of today.
External links
- World Simmental-Fleckvieh-Federation
- European Fleckvieh Association (German language)
- Fleckvieh-Association Switzerland (German language
- Fleckvieh-Association Germany (with photographs)
- CESTR-Czech Republic Fleckvieh Association (Czech language)
- Bavarian Fleckvieh Genetics München Grub (German language)