The Pustertaler Sprinzen, also called Pustertaler or , is a rare breed of cattle from the

Puster Valley The Puster Valley ( ; , ) is one of the largest longitudinal valleys in the Alps that runs in an east-west direction between Lienz in East Tyrol, Austria, and Mühlbach near Brixen in South Tyrol, Italy. The South Tyrolean municipalities of th ...

in the autonomous

province of Bolzano South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province ...

, now in north-eastern Italy. Genetic research carried out in 2001 showed the Barà breed of the

province of Turin The province of Turin (; ; ) was a Provinces of Italy, province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital was the city of Turin. The province existed until 31 December 2014, when it was replaced by the Metropolitan City of Turin. Geography It ...

to be closely similar to the Pustertaler; the two populations have since 2002 been treated and registered as a single breed. It is one of the sixteen minor Italian cattle breeds of limited diffusion recognised and protected 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.

History

Pustertaler cattle originate from an area that includes the Pustertal and its

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

valleys, and the eastern parts of the

Eisacktal Eisack Valley ( ; ) is a district (; ) in South Tyrol, Italy. It comprises the middle part of the valley of the Eisack, from Franzensfeste in the north to Waidbruck in the south. Overview The valley of the Eisack river stretches from Brenner Pass ...

or Isarco valley. Following the construction of the Pustertal railway in the 1860s, hundreds of head were bought and loaded at

Bruneck Bruneck (; or Ladin language, Ladin: ''Bornech'' or ''Burnech''; or ''Brunopolis'') is the largest town in the Puster Valley in the Italy, Italian province of South Tyrol. Geography Bruneck rises up in the middle of a wide valley (perhaps a ...

for transport north of the Alps, particularly to the area of

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, where the Pustertaler came to be known as the , or Viennese cow. The Pustertaler was highly esteemed for its milk, and commanded high prices. A herd-book was opened in 1900, and several breeder associations formed in the next few years. However, some Pustertal farmers replaced the animals they had sold with cheaper stock from

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

, which led to a decline in quality. The

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and the cession of South Tyrol to Italy under the

Treaty of Saint-Germain A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, conventi ...

of 1919 led to a decline in numbers also, and the herd-book was not maintained after 1920. After the ending of inspection for bull licensing through a Decree of the Agrarian Inspectorate in 1927 the cattle breed collapsed. An attempt to revive the fortunes of the breed was made between 1954 and 1967; approximately 300 cows and 500 calves were registered during this period. Italian regional cattle breeds of limited diffusion, including the Pustertaler, came under ministerial protection in 1985. Responsibility for registration of these breeds was delegated to the Associazione Italiana Allevatori, the national breeders' association, in 1991. Between 1983 and 2002 breed numbers remained low; numbers in 2002 were variously estimated at 635 head (with less than 100 cows registered); and at about 200. A genetic study carried out in 2001 showed that the local breed known in the provinces of Turin and

Cuneo Cuneo (; ; ; ) is a city and in Piedmont, Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the fourth largest of Italy’s provinces by area. It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in the south-west of Piedmont, at the confluence of the ri ...

as the Barà (dialect for , "barred") was closely similar to the Pustertaler. The two populations have since 2002 been treated and registered as a single breed. The Barà race numbered several thousand, so overall breed numbers increased substantially. A total population of 3321 head was reported in 2009.

Characteristics

The cattle are finched and

colour-sided Colour-sided is a colour pattern of domesticated cattle. It is sometimes called lineback. Characteristics The pattern consists of a dark body colour, with white finching along the spine, white under the belly, and often white also over the ...

: they are basically white with chestnut-brown to light brown or black plaques on the flanks that dissolve into small spots at the margins. They have short spreading or forward pointing horns. The cows weigh and average tall at the withers, the bulls and about tall. The breed is reared in Austria, Germany, Italy and South Africa.

References

{{Cattle breeds of Italy Cattle breeds originating in South Tyrol Cattle breeds originating in Italy