Dual Breeding Project – Dual-purpose cattle breeds: an alternative model of eco-sustainable animal husbandry

In many mountain areas, breeders have wisely preserved the rusticity and adaptability characteristics in their bovine populations. It is not by chance that in these territories there are many dual-purpose breeds well adapted to environment over the centuries. Sustainable production of milk and meat was a priority for farmers and their associations in the past as well as in the future. In fact, sustainable production is synonymous with environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, landscape defense, but also production efficiency. The dual-purpose breeding associations have maintained the selection objectives always oriented not only for dualpurpose but also for resistance to diseases, maintenance of rusticity and longevity. In order to continue on the path taken the national breed associations met to develop for the first time a collective project called "DUAL BREEDING" mainly aimed to the environmental sustainability, animal health and management of inbreeding. “Dual Breeding project - Dual-purpose cattle breeds: an alternative model of eco-sustainable animal husbandry” is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) through the National Rural Development Programme (NRDP) 2014/2020 - Sub-measure 10.2 “Support for conservation and sustainable use and development of genetic resources in agriculture”, and will last for three years. The project involves a total of 16 Italian dual-purpose breeds, from Val d'Aosta to Sicily, with selective stories, consistencies and production attitudes quite different. Among these, many are those closely linked to the Alpine environment (Italian Simmental, Valdostana Pezzata Rossa and Pezzata Nera/Castana, Grey Alpine, Rendena, Pinzgauer, Pezzata Rossa d’Oropa, Pustertaler Sprinzen/Barà, Burlina) and all are however linked to mountain or hilly territories.