The Väneko is an endangered Swedish
breed of
dairy cattle. It is named for the village of
Väne-Ryr in the
landskap of
Västergötland, in western Sweden. It is a traditional domestic Swedish breed, and derives from a group of cattle discovered in the 1990s, at a time when all traditional Swedish horned cattle were thought to have disappeared.[3]
It derives from a group of cattle discovered in the 1990s, at a time when all traditional Swedish horned cattle were thought to have disappeared.[3] There is a programme of recovery and conservation of the breed.[5] A
herd-book for the breed was established in 1993.[6]
The Väneko is grouped with two other endangered indigenous cattle breeds, the
Ringamålako and the
Bohuskulla, as
Allmogekor, or roughly "Swedish native cattle".[7]: 307 [5] Conservation and registration of these populations is managed by a society, the Föreningen Allmogekon.[3]
In 2014 the total Väneko population was reported to be 190.[6]
Characteristics
The coat of the Väneko is multi-coloured, black or red, sometimes with white; the cattle may be solid-coloured, red or black
pied, or
colour-sided.[2][8] Bulls weigh approximately 775 kg, cows about 525 kg.[6]
Use
The Väneko is a
dairy breed, kept principally for its milk;[2] it is, however, not very productive.[5] The only breeding aim is preservation of the breed without contamination from other breeds.[3] It is maintained for social and cultural reasons,[3] and may be used in
vegetation management.[2]
^
abcRawlynce C. Bett, Mwai A. Okeyo, Birgitta Malmfors, Kjell Johansson, Morris Agaba, Donald R. Kugonza, A.K.F.H. Bhuiyan, Anibal E. Vercesi Filho, Arthur S. Mariante, Fidalis D. Mujibi, Jan Philipsson (2013).
Cattle Breeds: Extinction or Quasi-Extant?. Resources2 (3): 335–357.
doi:
10.3390/resources2030335.
^
abcBreed data sheet: Väneko/Sweden. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed November 2016.
These are the
cattle breeds considered in Sweden to be wholly or partly of Swedish origin. Inclusion here does not necessarily imply that a breed is predominantly or exclusively Swedish.