The Swedish Friesian, , often abbreviated to SLB, is a Swedish
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
dairy cattle
Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle bred with the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species '' Bos taurus''.
Historically, little distinction was ...
. It was established in about 1870 from imports of cattle of
Dutch Friesian or
German Black Pied
German Black Pied cattle are a breed of dairy cattle that originated in the North Sea coast regions of northern Germany and the Netherlands.
Until the 18th century, cattle of diverse colours were bred in these regions. After 1750, the black pied ...
type. From about 1970 it has been systematically cross-bred with the American
Holstein-Friesian
The Holstein Friesian is an international breed or group of breeds of dairy cattle. It originated in Frisia, stretching from the Dutch province of North Holland to the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is the dominant breed in industrial ...
breed, to the point that the original Swedish type may be extinct. The name Swedish Holstein may also be used.
History
The Swedish Friesian or Svensk Låglandsboskap originated in about 1870 with imports of black-and-white
pied
A piebald or pied animal is one that has a pattern of unpigmented spots (white) on a pigmented background of hair, feathers or scales. Thus a piebald black and white dog is a black dog with white spots. The animal's skin under the white backg ...
dairy cattle
Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle bred with the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species '' Bos taurus''.
Historically, little distinction was ...
of and
German Black Pied
German Black Pied cattle are a breed of dairy cattle that originated in the North Sea coast regions of northern Germany and the Netherlands.
Until the 18th century, cattle of diverse colours were bred in these regions. After 1750, the black pied ...
type. 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 ...
was established in 1880. The Svensk Låglandsboskap became the most numerous dairy breed in southern Sweden.
Selective breeding
Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant m ...
in the 1940s and 1950s led to stock shorter in the leg and broader in the body than the original types. During the 1960s the breed spread through much of Sweden. In 2001 the Svensk Låglandsboskap constituted 47% of the national dairy herd, fractionally less than the
Swedish Red-and-White.
In about 1970, importation to Sweden of
semen
Semen, also known as seminal fluid, is a bodily fluid that contains spermatozoon, spermatozoa which is secreted by the male gonads (sexual glands) and other sexual organs of male or hermaphrodite, hermaphroditic animals. In humans and placen ...
from American
Holstein-Friesian
The Holstein Friesian is an international breed or group of breeds of dairy cattle. It originated in Frisia, stretching from the Dutch province of North Holland to the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is the dominant breed in industrial ...
bulls began. Between 1970 and 2005, the proportion of Holstein
alleles
An allele is a variant of the sequence of nucleotides at a particular location, or locus, on a DNA molecule.
Alleles can differ at a single position through single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), but they can also have insertions and deletions ...
in Swedish Friesian cows rose from 6% to more than 90%; in bulls the proportion rose even more. The original Swedish Friesian type has become very rare, and should perhaps be considered extinct.
In 2008 two breeds were reported to
DAD-IS
DAD-IS is the acronym for the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System, a tool developed and maintained by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a part of its programme for management of animal genetic resources for ...
: the Svensk Holstein or Swedish Holstein, with just over registered cows; and the Svensk Låglandsboskap or Swedish Friesian, with 100 registered cows and a conservation status of "critical". In 2014 the breed was reported as "Svensk låglandsboskap (holstein friesian)", with a population of just under .
Characteristics
The coat of the Swedish Friesian is black-and-white pied. Bulls weigh approximately , cows about .
Use
The Swedish Friesian is a
dairy breed, kept principally for its milk.
References
{{bots, deny=Citation bot
Cattle breeds originating in Sweden
Agriculture in Sweden