Valais Blackneck

The Valais Blackneck is a Swiss breed of domestic goat from the canton of Valais. It has a distinctive colouring, black from the nose to behind the shoulder and white from there to the tail.

Valais Blackneck

Conservation status	FAO (2007):      Europe: not at risk[1]: 138       Italy: critical[1]: 68       Switzerland: endangered-maintained[1]: 113  DAD-IS (2025):      Austria: at risk/critical[2]      Germany: at risk/critical[3]      Italy: at risk/critical[4]      Switzerland: at risk/endangered-maintained[2]
Other names	Walliser Schwarzhalsziege Gletschergeiss Col Noir du Valais Chèvre des Glaciers Race de Viège Vallesana Vallese
Country of origin	Switzerland[5] Austria[2] Germany[3] Italy[4] Netherlands[6]
Distribution	mainly in the Valais
Standard	OZIV (Switzerland, in German) SZZV (Switzerland, in German) MIPAAF (Italy, in Italian)
Use	meat milk vegetation management
Traits
Weight	Male: minimum 75 kg[7] Female: minimum 55 kg[7]
Height	Male: 85 cm[7] Female: 75 cm[7]
Skin colour	often pale
Coat	black foreparts, white hindparts
Hair colour	black, white
Face colour	black
Horn status	horned in both sexes
Goat Capra aegagrus hircus

Engraving of a Valais Blackneck from the Journal des Eleveurs, 1905

It is distributed in southern Switzerland – the largest concentration is in the area of Visp (Viège) – and in neighbouring areas of northern Italy; it is present in modest numbers in Austria and Germany. It is known by many names, including German: Walliser Schwarzhalsziege or Gletschergeiss; French: Col Noir du Valais, Chèvre des Glaciers or Race de Viège; and Italian: Vallesana or Vallese.

History

The Walliser Schwarzhalsziege is a traditional breed of the Swiss canton of Valais. A herd-book was established in 1920.^[5]

Within Italy, the Vallesana is raised in the provinces of Verbania and Vercelli.^[8] It is one of the forty-three autochthonous Italian goat breeds of limited distribution for which a herd-book is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep- and goat-breeders.^[9][10]

At the end of 2013 the total numbers for the breed were 3000–3400 in Switzerland and either 191^[11] or 446^[4] in Italy. In 2012 Austria reported 100–300 head^[2] and Germany 429.^[3]

Characteristics

The Valais Blackneck is of medium size; nannies stand on average 75 cm at the withers, with a body weight of at least 55 kg, billies are on average about 10 cm taller and weigh no less than 75 kg.^[7] The colouring of the coat is distinctive: coal black from the nose to behind the shoulder and snow white from there to the tail; the division between the two colours is clearly defined, and should be within ±3 cm of the point where the last rib meets the spine.^[12] The fore hooves are black, the hind ones pale.^[12] The coat hair is long and the skin is fine;^[12] horns are present in both sexes, as is a black beard; the horns are larger in billies.^[7]

The English Bagot is similarly coloured, and has been thought to derive from this breed by descent from one presented to Richard II of England in 1387;^[13]: 420 DNA studies have shown that the Bagot originated in Spain.^[14]: 360

Use

The Valais Blackneck is reared principally for its meat;^[14]: 415 it is not usually milked.^[15] The milk yield is approximately 500 kg per lactation.^[14]: 415 The pelts may be used to make leather goods.^[14]: 360

The goats are also used for vegetation management: they move freely on steep mountain terrain, which they help to keep clear of excess scrub vegetation.^[12][5]