Icelandic cattle ( is, íslenskur nautgripur ) are a breed of

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...

native to

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

. Cattle were first brought to the island during the

Settlement of Iceland The settlement of Iceland ( is, landnámsöld ) is generally believed to have begun in the second half of the ninth century, when Norse settlers migrated across the North Atlantic. The reasons for the migration are uncertain: later in the Middle ...

a thousand years ago. Icelandic cows are an especially colorful breed with a wide variety of colours and markings. Icelandic cattle have been genetically isolated for centuries, but are most closely related to a breed in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

called Blacksided Troender- and Nordland Cattle. No cattle are permitted to be imported into Iceland, so they have been protected by strict disease-prevention measures. The Icelandic cow is a dairy breed with a small body size. About 95% are naturally polled, but the rest are horned. An average cow can produce about of milk per year, with the best animals producing . They are housed for about eight months of the year and fed largely on hay, supplemented with cereals. They are grazed outside in the summer, and to prolong the growing season, cabbage, turnips, barley, and oats are grown for forage. Fewer than 30,000 cows are on the island and their milk is used to create a mild, butter-flavoured cheese. According to a report produced by the Agricultural University of Iceland, it would be more cost-effective to replace Icelandic cattle with Swedish cattle, as the latter produce more milk at a lower cost. However, some have argued that Icelandic cattle are part of Iceland's cultural heritage and should not be replaced. Guðni Ágústsson, former Icelandic minister of agriculture, once kissed an Icelandic cow. The milk from Icelandic cows is used to make ''

skyr Skyr ( ; ) is an Icelandic cultured dairy product originating in Norway. It has the consistency of strained yogurt, but a milder flavor. Skyr can be classified as a fresh sour milk cheese, similar to curd cheese consumed like a yogurt in the B ...

''.

References

External links

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Differences in cow's milk composition between Iceland and the other Nordic countries and possible connections to public health

"THE BISHOP’S BEEF: Improved Cattle in Eighteenth Century Skálholt, Iceland" by George Hambrecht, Stanford Journal of Archaeology
{{Icelandic breeds Cattle breeds originating in Iceland

See also

References

External links