Limpurger

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Head of a Limpurger cattle

The Limpurger cattle, also called Leintäler , is the oldest cattle breed in Württemberg . The Society for the Preservation of Old and Endangered Pet Breeds (GEH) has classified this breed in Category I (extremely endangered) of the Red List (as of 2019). It was Endangered Livestock Breed of the Year in 2011 .

breed

The name of the breed goes back to the county of Limpurg , which was south of Schwäbisch Hall and came to Württemberg in 1803.

Probably in the 18th century, specimens of the Red Landvieh were crossed with Allgäu cattle , from which the Limpurger originated. They were particularly widespread in the region around the river Lein as well as in the Welzheimer Forest and between Gaildorf , Schwäbisch Gmünd and Aalen . Limpurgers are three-purpose cattle that were raised both as workhorses and as meat and milk suppliers. At the turn of the 20th century, many farms switched to the somewhat larger Simmental Fleckvieh . In some communities, pure breeding of Limpurgers was downright prevented, as the crossing of Simmental horses was prescribed. In 1903 a breeding association for Limpurger cattle was founded, which endeavored to keep the breed competitive by supplying Glan and yellow cattle blood , but this attempt failed. In 1963 the association was dissolved. In 1987 the Limpurger Rind breeders' association was founded, which was funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg . Initially, only 56 cows were included in the herdbook , not all of which corresponded 100% to the Limpurger type. Breeding was started with four bull lines. The goal was no longer a three-purpose, but a dual-purpose cattle . Around 300 cows have now been added to the herdbook.

Appearance

Limpurger in the Hohenloher Freilandmuseum Wackershofen

Limpurgers have a monochrome light to red-yellow fur, with individual areas, such as the lower abdomen and the inside of the thighs, being lighter in color than the rest. The horns and claws are yellowish, the muzzle flesh-colored. The height at the withers of the cows is 134 to 137, that of the bulls 143 to 148 cm.

Services

While cows can weigh between 600 and 650 kg, adult bulls weigh around 1000 to 1100 kg. Limpurger should be easy to reproduce and easy to fatten. At the time when Limpurgers were also used as workhorses, value was also placed on hard claws and rather delicate but stable limbs.

In 1994, an annual milk production of 4435 kg milk was determined for Limpurg cows . The meat performance of bulls determined at the Neuhof internal performance test station was a daily increase of 1358 g between the 112th and 350th day of life. The state association for performance tests in animal breeding in Baden-Württemberg e. V. determined that Limpurg cows give birth to their first calf at an average of 29.3 months and have an interval between calving of 376 days.

Protection of origin and quality

In September 2013, the European Commission added Limpurger cattle to its list of protected designations of origin (PDO). This means that meat from grazing ox of this breed can be labeled with this protected designation of origin in accordance with a specified specification. The specification regulates in detail the geographical origin of the animals as well as the framework conditions for the rearing of the animals and for the production of the meat.

origin

The geographical area in which the animals are born, raised, kept, slaughtered and cut up includes the districts of Ostalbkreis, Schwäbisch Hall, Hohenlohekreis, Rems-Murr-Kreis and Main-Tauber-Kreis. Also included in the course of the river and side valleys are the neighboring communities Wüstenrot and Löwenstein in the Heilbronn district and the Hardheim community in the Neckar-Odenwald district.

Quality requirements in rearing

  • Only pure-bred male animals of the Limpurger breed may be used. The castration must be carried out with elimination of the sensation of pain.
  • Grazing is compulsory in the vegetation period from April 15th to at least October 15th, depending on the weather.
  • Only traditional animal feed, such as pasture fodder, grass, grass silage, hay, beet, from mostly in-house production is permitted. Corn silage, soy and soy products as well as any genetically modified feed are not allowed.
  • A fattening phase of 4 months prior to slaughter on the basis of grain that was produced in the geographical area is permitted.

Meat quality

  • The slaughter age of the ox is at least 30 months to ensure slow healthy growth of the animals.
  • The pH value in the meat is below 6.0 24 to 48 hours after slaughter.
  • Cuttings from the leg, as well as the back or fillet, which are suitable for quick roasting, must mature on the bone for at least three weeks without being vacuum-sealed.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ GEH red list , accessed on November 13, 2019
  2. ↑ http://ec.europa.eu/deutschland/press/pr_releases/11671_de.htm
  3. ↑ https://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/geo/detail.pdfdownload/40726

Web links

Commons : Limpurger  - collection of images, videos and audio files