The Livo is a rare Italian

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

of domestic

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

. It takes its name from the Val di Livo, in the

province of Como The province of Como (; Comasco dialect, Comasco: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It borders the Switzerland, Swiss cantons of Ticino and Grisons, Grigioni to the north, the Italian provinces of Province of ...

, in

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

in northern Italy. Most of the data on the breed dates to 1983. Its

conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation ...

is not clear; it may be extinct.

History

The origins of the Livo are unknown. It originates in the Val di Livo, in the

, in

in northern Italy, and is named for the Livo river or for the

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

of Livo. It shows similarity to the Ciavenasca breed of the Valchiavenna, in the

province of Sondrio The province of Sondrio (), also known as Valtellina (the major valley of the province) is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its provincial capital is the city of Sondrio. As of 2024, it has a population of 179,165. History The prov ...

further to the north. It may have been influenced by

Merinolandschaf The Merinolandschaf or Württemberger is a breed of domestic sheep derived from the Merino. It constitutes about 30% of the sheep population of Germany and is the most common commercial breed. It descends from the Merino sheep first brought to ...

(Württemberger) stock imported to the southern part of the area of

Lake Como Lake Como ( , ) also known as Lario, is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the third-largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At over deep, it is one of the deepest lakes in Europe. ...

in the 1950s, and possibly also by lop-eared Alpine breeds such as the Bergamasca and the Brianzola. Data on the breed dates to 1983, when there were approximately 500 head. The Livo was, but is no longer, among the autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution officially recognised by the

Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (), or MASAF, is an Italian government department. It was formed in 1946 as the Ministero dell'Agricoltura e delle Foreste ("Ministry of Agriculture and Forests"), and following the refe ...

, the Italian ministry of agriculture. A

herd-book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry, the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders wh ...

is kept by the

Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia The Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, or roughly "national association of Sheep farming, pastoralists", is the Italian national body responsible for the administration of sheep- and goat-breeding. It maintains the herd books for more th ...

, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders; it has been empty for many years. In 2007 the Livo was classified by the

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...

as "extinct".

Characteristics

The Livo is well adapted to its mountain environment, where pastures may be very steep. The coat is straw-coloured, and extends onto the forehead and the upper part of the legs. The breed has a low twinning rate, about 20–25%.

Use

The Livo is kept mainly for meat production; lambs are slaughtered at a weight of The milk is just sufficient for the lambs. Wool yield is some per year; it is of mediocre quality.

References

{{Sheep breeds of Italy Sheep breeds originating in Italy