The Sarda or Suino Sardo ( sc, Porcu Sardu, italic=no) is a
breed
A breed is a specific group of 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 several slig ...
of domestic
pig
The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...
from the Mediterranean island of
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
, Italy. It is raised mainly in the
provinces of
Ogliastra
The province of Ogliastra ( it, provincia dell'Ogliastra , sc, provìntzia de s'Ogiastra) was a former province in eastern Sardinia, Italy. Ogliastra was the most mountainous province in Sardinia. With only some 57,642 inhabitants, it was also t ...
and
Nuoro, but is also present in those of
Medio Campidano Medio (Spanish for "half") may refer to:
* Mediopassive voice in grammar
* Dolores Medio, a Spanish writer
* Medio Creek in Texas
* Arroyo del Medio in Argentina
* Medio, a company
* Medio, any of various halfpieces of currency across Latin Americ ...
and
Sassari
Sassari (, ; sdc, Sàssari ; sc, Tàtari, ) is an Italian city and the second-largest of Sardinia in terms of population with 127,525 inhabitants, and a Functional Urban Area of about 260,000 inhabitants. One of the oldest cities on the island, ...
and in the
Sarrabus-Gerrei sub-region. The Sarda breed was officially recognised by
ministerial decree
A ministerial decree or ministerial order is a decree by a ministry. With a ministerial decree the administrative department is delegated the task to impose a formal judgement or mandate. Ministerial decrees are usually imposed under the authority ...
on 8 June 2006 and became the sixth autochthonous pig breed recognised by the
Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali
The Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, it, Ministero delle Politiche Agricole, Alimentari e Forestali, italic=no or MiPAAF, is an Italian government department.
It was formed in 1946 as the Ministero dell'Agricoltura e delle F ...
, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry.
History
The earliest detailed description of Sardinian pigs was written by Francesco Cetti in 1774, in his ':
Both the description and the accompanying illustration are comparable to present-day Sarda pigs and to the modern breed standard.
Management of the Sarda pig is almost always completely open-range; the pigs are allowed to range freely in wooded mountain areas, often including public land, where they feed on acorns, chestnuts and roots. Additional feed is given only in the summer, when natural sources of food are scarce. Pigmen train the pigs to come at their call to the usual feeding-place; feed is often given directly on the ground, or at the side of the road.
The herdbook was established in 2006, and is kept by the , the Italian national association of pig breeders. At the end of 2012 there were 575 pigs registered.
References
Pig breeds originating in Italy
Italian products with protected designation of origin
{{Pig-stub