Rubia Gallega
 At Garita de Erbeira, near Cape Ortegal | |
 Cow at Cumbraos, Mesía, in the province of A Coruña | |
| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| Other names | |
| Country of origin | Spain |
| Distribution | Galicia, principally the province of Lugo |
| Standard | MAGRAMA (in Spanish) |
| Use | meat |
| Traits | |
| Weight | |
| Height | |
| Skin colour | unpigmented |
| Coat | red-blond, wheaten or cinnamon-coloured[3]: 145 |
| Horn status | horned |
| |
The Rubia Gallega is a Spanish breed of cattle native to the autonomous community of Galicia in north-western Spain. It is raised mainly for meat.[3]: 143 It is distributed throughout Galicia, with about 75% of the population concentrated in the province of Lugo.[4] The coat may be red-blond, wheaten, or cinnamon-coloured.[3]: 145
History
[edit]A herdbook was established in 1933.[2] In the twentieth century there was some cross-breeding with stock of the Portuguese Barrosã, the Braunvieh and Simmental of Switzerland, and the British Shorthorn.[5]: 105
The total registered Rubia Gallega population at the end of 2015 was 39971, of which almost all were in Galicia.[6] The cattle are distributed throughout the autonomous community, with about 75% of the population concentrated in Lugo.[4] It is found particularly at altitudes above about 550 m in the mountainous areas of the northern part of the province, including the Serra da Carba, the Serra de Lourenzá, and the Serra de Xistral.[7]: 74
Use
[edit]The Rubia Gallega is primarily a beef cattle breed.[2] The milk is used in the production of Tetilla cheese,[8] which has had Denominación de Origen certification since 1993 and European DOP certification since 1996.[9] The Rubia Gallega is easily handled and is suitable for draught work; however, it is slow in comparison to oxen of other breeds.[5]: 109
References
[edit]
- ↑ Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
- 1 2 3 4 Breed data sheet: Rubia Gallega / Spain (Cattle). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Miguel Fernández Rodríguez, Mariano Gómez Fernández, Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, Silvia Adán Belmonte, Miguel Jiménez Cabras (editors) (2009). Guía de campo de las razas autóctonas españolas (in Spanish). Madrid: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino. ISBN 9788449109461.
- 1 2 Raza bovina Rubia Gallega (in Spanish). Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente. Accessed January 2016.
- 1 2 M. H. French, I. Johansson (1969). Razas Europeas de Ganado Bovino, volume II (in Spanish). Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Archived 30 January 2016.
- ↑ Raza bovina Rubia Gallega: Datos censales (in Spanish). Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente. Accessed April 2016.
- ↑ M. Legide, A. Ceular (April 1994). La raza Rubia Gallega ecotipo de montaña (in Spanish). Animal Genetic Resources / Resources génétiques animales / Recursos genéticos animales. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISSN 2078-6344. 14: 73–78. doi:10.1017/S1014233900000353.
- ↑ Janet Fletcher (15 June 2006). A cheese to please those who like it mild. San Francisco Chronicle. Archived 4 November 2012.
- ↑ Denominación de Origen Protegida "Queso Tetilla" (in Spanish). Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente. Archived 1 February 2016.
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