Murnau-Werdenfelser beef

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
At the slow food fair in Stuttgart 2007

The Murnau-Werdenfelser cattle breed is a robust old country breed from Upper Bavaria .

origin

The origin and formation of the Murnau-Werdenfelser (also called "Oberländer") could not be clearly clarified until today. The majority of the authors assume that the pairing of the then still yellow Tyrolean cattle in the upper Inn Valley with the so-called red land that already existed in the area of ​​origin, the Werdenfelser Land , formed the basis of this breed. Regional affiliations at the time, including economic relationships between the Ettal Abbey and the Cistercian Abbey of Stams in Tyrol, have probably influenced these developments.

In later times, are still Mürztaler and Murbodner animals from Styria bulls from neighboring, Lech Valley , Brown Swiss species and Central Franconia Ellinger have been crossed. Immunological studies have shown, however, that the Murnau-Werdenfelser is an autochthonous breed , from which a small, pure-bred population has been able to survive until the present day.

properties

The color variants of the animals range from light to dark yellow, reddish brown to black with a light eel line , dark mouth with a light edge (flour mouth), dark eyes with a light edge as well.

They are horned, claws and horn tips are black and have an above-average hardness. With their extremely hard claws and the high resilience of their joints, they are particularly suitable for keeping in damp locations with high amounts of precipitation or swamp areas . However, their pronounced surefootedness enables them to be kept on very steep pastures.

The animals are very frugal, vital, resistant to harsh climates, and are characterized by their longevity and high fertility.

Up until the beginning of the 20th century, the Murnau-Werdenfelsers were very popular and widespread as so-called " three-purpose cattle " - at the same time workhorse, milk and meat supplier - as they fulfilled all the farmers' expectations at the time.

The cows of the breed reach a height at the withers of 128 to 130 cm and a weight of 500 to 600 kg, the bulls are around 138 to 145 cm tall and weigh 850 to 950 kg.

Distribution and development of the stock

In a cattle count in 1896, around 62,000 Murnau-Werdenfelsers were counted in Bavaria , the main area of ​​distribution ranging from Garmisch - the main breeding area - to Kochel , Starnberg and Landsberg .

The success of this breed of cattle was based to a large extent on the fact that high-performance draft oxen were bred that were excellently suited for field, forest and transport work. At that time, breeding and sales represented the main source of income for many farms. The development of modern agricultural structures, in particular the advancing mechanization, then led to a sharp reduction in breeding stocks.

Initially, the steadily increasing use of tractors and other machines made the use of animals for field, forest and transport work largely superfluous. When agriculture began to specialize in meat or milk production from the middle of the 20th century, this went hand in hand with the breeding of corresponding high-performance cattle breeds that were only either milk or meat suppliers.

In comparison with these new breeds, the milk and meat production of the Murnau-Werdenfelsers was too low, and the number of farms that continued to use them for milk production (farms connected to the milk production test) fell from 200 (1950) to 128 ( 1965), 101 (1970), 18 (1975). The absolute low point was reached in 1980 with only two companies left.

State subsidies enabled a slight increase in the number of farms in which Murnau-Werdenfels cows were used and the milk performance test (18 farms with 201 animals) to be achieved, but a decline had to be recorded in the following years. In 2005, only nine farms had 113 herd book cows included in the milk performance test. There were also six herd book bulls.

All previous attempts to breed a “ dual -purpose breed ” from the “ three-purpose cattle ” - with increased milk and meat production - have only been able to halt this development to a limited extent.

power

The milk production of the Murnau-Werdenfelser has increased continuously over the years:

year Milk kg per year Fat content in% Protein content in%
1980 3624 3.95 3.45
1990 4024 3.67 3.32
2000 4089 3.61 3.29
2005 4226 3.72 3.35

These services are z. B. far surpassed by Simmental cattle . The values ​​here (for 2005) are 6768 kg milk per year (4.14 percent fat; 3.50 percent protein). And the Holstein cow is even higher with an annual milk production of around 8,000 liters (10,000 to 14,000 liters per year are not uncommon).

However, in terms of quality, the milk of the Murnau-Werdenfels differs from that of other breeds, as the milk proteins are unique in their composition and diversity. In terms of genetic variants of the milk proteins, the breed has the greatest diversity of all the breeds examined in Germany. Murnau-Werdenfelser have by far the highest frequency in beta-lactoglobulin D . The occurrence of beta-lactoglobulin W, named after Werdenfelser, is unique.

In addition, the Murnau-Werdenfelser surpass all other cattle breeds in Bavaria with an average age of the dairy cows of 7.1 years.

The fattening performance of the young bulls is also remarkable, as daily weight gain of up to 1.3 kg can be achieved. Due to the low percentage of skin and foot weight, a high slaughter yield of around 60 percent can be achieved. In terms of tissue composition, they have a high meat content of over 70 percent with a bone and tendon content of only 17.5 percent.

Measures to preserve the breed

With the Animal Breeding Act of December 22, 1989, the "preservation of genetic diversity" was included in a law for the first time in Germany. The individual federal states have a key role to play here, because the implementation of specific measures in the field of animal breeding is their exclusive responsibility.

Bavaria

The sharp decline in the number of Murnau-Werdenfelsers since the early 1970s prompted the Bavarian government ( Bavarian State Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Forests ) to set up a herd of 25 suckler cows as a genetic reserve in the Bavarian main and state stud in Schwaiganger (Guglhör experimental station) - to create herds to prevent this breed from becoming extinct.

As part of the Donaumoos renovation project, a second herd with 35 herd book cows was added later in the Karlshuld moor experimental farm (district of Neuburg-Schrobenhausen). In the course of the sale of the moor experimental farm in 2003, this herd had to be reduced to 20 suckler cows; however, it will continue to be held by a farmer in cooperation with the Donaumoos association.

In addition, sperm banks were created. In the State gene reserve by 1 July 2004 a total of 7,397 doses of semen from 16 bulls from the three (only existing) bloodlines were stored.

Since the beginning of the 1980s, the Bavarian State Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Forestry has also made funding available in the form of keeping contracts with farms for a period of 10 years, rearing premiums, and subsidies for the cost of milk performance testing.

According to Agriculture Minister Helmut Brunner, the number of animals has increased from 1200 to 2250 since 2007.

EU

The EU is also providing funding for old and endangered livestock breeds. The basis is the EU regulation 1257/99 of the Council of May 17, 1999 on the promotion of rural areas by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF).

Since January 1, 2000, this ordinance has formed the framework for community support for rural development. The measures provided for in the regulation (and its updates: EU-VO 2603/1999 of December 9, 1999; EU-VO 445/2002, of February 26, 2002) relate to a. promoting the keeping of old and endangered breeds of domestic animals. The threshold above which a landrace is considered to be threatened with extinction and therefore worthy of support has been set by the EU for cattle breeds in 7,500 female breeding animals (see EU Regulation 445/2002 of February 26, 2002).

Funding programs are formulated within the framework of which u. a. Premiums for kept breeding animals, litter premiums, rearing premiums, purchase premiums for animals, support for breeders' associations, subsidies for the collection and preservation of sperm and embryos for use and conservation are provided. In 2006 the EU (European Commission) granted small funds for the preservation of this cattle breed:

For a research program with the title “Model development and testing of a new breeding program for the Murnau-Werdenfelser breed on the basis of molecular genetic characterization”, the Bavarian State Institute for Agriculture / Institute for Animal Breeding (participating institution: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München ) were awarded for the period granted a total of 20,240 euros from June 1, 2006 to February 29, 2008 (21 months).

"The aim of the model project is to use the example of the Murnau Werdenfelser cattle breed to demonstrate and test the possibilities of maintenance breeding for breeds in the" phenotypic maintenance population " category . The model project is intended to show how conservation breeding can be installed on the basis of the genotyping results through the establishment of a breeding program , and how a sustainable contribution can be made to the preservation of a livestock breed threatened with extinction through the sensitive expansion of the gene pool . " March 2006 to the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier )

Endangered livestock breed of the year

The Murnau-Werdenfelser cattle were declared " Endangered Livestock Breed of the Year " by the Society for the Preservation of Old and Endangered Domestic Breeds (GEH) in 1986 and 2007. It is on the Red List in Category 1 (extremely endangered). Since 1984, the GEH has been using this selection to point out those domestic livestock that need to be preserved because of agrobiodiversity in order to have this genetic reserve available in the future.

See also

literature

  • August Lydtin , Hugo Werner : The German cattle. Description of the native cattle in Germany (= work of the German Agricultural Society. Vol. 41, ISSN  0365-1665 ). Unger, Berlin 1899.
  • Paul Süskind: The Murnau-Werdenfels cattle drop and its future. In: South German agricultural animal breeding. Vol. 3, No. 45, 1908, ZDB -ID 535303-8 , pp. 361-363.
  • E. Kronacher: A few words about the past and future of Werdenfelser cattle. In: South German agricultural animal breeding. Vol. 4, No. 44, 1909.
  • Carl Bärlehner: Bull stud book of the breeding association for monochrome mountain cattle in Upper Bavaria. With the origin and development history of the breeding association for monochrome mountain cattle in Upper Bavaria, based in Weilheim. 1901-1931. Bavarian Animal Breeding Inspection, Weilheim 1933, p. 6 ff.
  • R. Graml, DO Schmid, L. Erhard, J. Buchberger, G. Ohmayer, F. Pirchner: Relationship of the Murnau-Werdenfelser cattle to other breeds. In: Bavarian Agricultural Yearbook. Vol. 63, 1986, ISSN  0375-8621 , pp. 273-281.
  • Marion Hirsch: Performance characteristics of the Murnau-Werdenfelser cattle and their breeding processing taking into account alternative breeding goals. Dissertation, Technical University of Munich . 1994, DNB 944744842 .
  • Hans Hinrich Sambraus: Endangered farm animal breeds. Their breeding history, use and preservation. E. Ulmer, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-8001-4099-3 , pp. 208-213.
  • J. Buchberger, I. Krause, Ch. Biechl: A milk with high cheese making suitability. In: Our country. Vol. 14, No. 2, 1996, ISSN  0179-4132 , pp. 27-28.
  • J. Kögel, N. Reinsch, W. Kustermann, H. Eichinger, G. Thaller, F. Pirchner: Meat performance of the endangered Bavarian cattle breeds. 1st communication: fattening performance, slaughter yield and carcass quality. In: Breeding Science. Vol. 69, 1997, ISSN  0044-5401 , pp. 244-253.
  • C. Augustini, F. Pirchner, H. Eichinger, N. Reinsch and J. Kögel: Meat performance of the endangered Bavarian cattle breeds. 2nd message: meat quality. In: Breeding Science. Vol. 70, 1998, pp. 328-337.

Web links

Commons : Murnau-Werdenfelser-Rind  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Press release from the Bavarian State Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Forests
  2. ↑ GEH red list , accessed on November 13, 2019