The Agerolese cattle are a breed of dairy cattle which are raised primarily for milk production. It is actually from the area of Agerola, in Campania in southern Italy.
It derives from cross-breeding of indigenous Podolica cattle with Bruna Italiana, Italian Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cattle. The breed is particularly associated with the Sorrento Peninsula and Monti Lattari.
The Agerolese cattle breed is one of the 16 minor Italian cattle breeds of limited diffusion recognized and protected by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture.
There were a total of 200 animals available according to a census completed on 1 January 2002. Among these 200 animals, there were 103 mature (85 cows and 18 bulls).
The conservation status of the Agerolese cattle breed was reported by the FAO as ‘endangered-maintained’ in 2007.
And total population of the breed increased to 347 animals at the end of 2012, of which 252 were breeding cows and 18 were breeding bulls. Read more information about the breed below.
Agerolese Cattle Characteristics
Agerolese cattle are medium sized animals. The bulls are almost black in color and the cows are usually brown. Both bulls and cows have horns, and have a pale dorsal stripe. The horns are of medium sized and the tip of their muzzle is whitish.
Average body height of the Agerolese bulls vary from 130-135 cm at the withers, and around 120-123 cm for the cows. Average live body weight of the mature cows vary from 380-450 kg. And the mature bulls on average weight between 600 and 650 kg. Info form Wikipedia.
Uses
The Agerolese cattle are a breed of dairy cattle. They are used primarily for milk production.
Special Notes
Agerolese cattle are well adapted to their native climates. They are very good for milk production and mainly used as a dairy animal.
Their average milk production is about 2500 kg for primiparous and around 3500 kg for pluriparous cows. In some cases the cows can produce about 20 kg of milk daily with more than 3.5 percent of fat content.
Their milk is used for making butter and Italian cheeses such as Fior di Latte and Provolone del Monaco. The breed’s conservation status was reported as ‘endangered-maintained’ by the FAO in 2007.
Currently it is mainly distributed in Monti Lattari, Sorrento Peninsula and Campania. However, review full breed profile of the Agerolese cattle in the following chart.
| Breed Name | Agerolese | |
| Other Name | None | |
| Breed Purpose | Mainly milk | |
| Special Notes | Well adapted to native climates, good for milk production, milk is used for making butter and Italian cheeses | |
| Breed Size | Medium | |
| Bulls | 600-650 kg | |
| Cows | 380-450 kg | |
| Climate Tolerance | Native climates | |
| Coat Color | Bulls are almost black and cows are brown. But both have pale dorsal stripe | |
| Horned | Yes | |
| Milk Yield | Very good | |
| Rarity | Endangered | |
| Country/Place of Origin | Italy |
