Mittelkärntner Blondvieh

 
Record Number: 50
 
Disclosure Date
In 1703 a falchete (probably “wan”) cow was reported by count Christalnigg of Gillitzstein in the Middle-Carinthian lordship of Eberstein, which may be regarded as one of the first ancestors of today’s Blondvieh.
In 1890, in the course of the establishment of the first breeders association at St.Veit/Glan, different local breeds were merged to form the breed “Kärntner Blondvieh”. 
 
Title
Mittelkärntner Blondvieh
Kärntner Blondvieh (local breed name)
Carinthian Blond (international breed name
 
 
Abstract or claim
Kärntner Blondvieh is the result of Traditional Knowledge on breeding and extensive husbandry of this native cattle breed in Carinthia.
Beef from Kärntner Blondvieh is characterized by excellent taste, tender texture and specific marbling due to flecks of fat within the meat muscle.
Kärntner Blondvieh is an old native multi-purpose cattle which is well adapted to the surroundings in Middle-Carinthia.
The extensive livestock farming of Kärntner Blondvieh over centuries has substantially contributed to the sustainable preservation of the Carinthian alpine landscape.
 
Name of product, Product class
Beef, fresh meat
 
Name of region
Middle-Carinthia, Carinthia, Austria
 
Field of search
Food and Agriculture
 
Name of information provider
Kärntner Blondviehzuchtverein (Carinthian Blond breeders association)
Obmann (Chairman) Raphael Pliemitscher
 
Name of applicant for title
---
 
Holder of knowledge or associated resources
Kärntner Blondviehzuchtverein (Carinthian Blond breeders association)90 grassland and mountain farmers (mainly organic farms) in Middle-Carinthia and Carinthia (political districts of Wolfsberg, St. Veit, Klagenfurt-Land, Völkermarkt and, sporadically, Feldkirchen and Spittal/Drau)
 
Grantee(s), holder(s),
assignee(s) or owner(s) of title, if any
---
 
Descriptors
- History:
It is assumed that Blondvieh is a descendant of the Slovenian Cattle, an unicoloured cattle that came with Slavic people to Carinthia in the 6^th  century AD and was crossed with German Yellow and German Red Spotted breeds by the native German farmers. Crossing with Hungarian steppe breeds left its mark with regard to the form of horns. Gradually different local breeds evolved. In the past, every colour was regarded as an own breed.
 
Already in 1604 a pair of oxen with white dorsal markings was reported in the Middle-Carinthian lordship of Eberstein.
 
In 1703 a falchete (probably “wan”) cow was reported by count Christalnigg of Gillitzstein in the Carinthian lordship of Eberstein which may be regarded as one of the first ancestors of today’s Blondvieh.
 
In 1803 the Carinthian agricultural society received higher government subsidies and, subsequently, turned its attention to the “breeding of the beautiful horned cattle”.
 
In 1857 Kärntner Blondvieh was regarded as the “best cattle breed of the monarchy”. Its beef was a treasured foodstuff and, in consequence, exported to all crown lands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph (1830-1916), who was a great lover of Tafelspitz (a well-aged piece of beef from the rump of a young ox which is to be boiled with root vegetables), insisted that his favourite dish was made from beef of Kärntner Blondvieh.
 
In 1870 the first cattle markets and district exhibitions were held at Rattendorf and Eberstein.
In 1877 Kärntner Blondvieh was considered as the most distributed Carinthian breed.
 
From the end of the 18^th  century onwards the breed Kärntner Blondvieh was widely spread in Carinthia and Styria. The breeds were called “Mariahofer” and “Lavanttaler” after their breeding sites at the property Mariahof near Sankt Salvator and in the Lavant valley. However, there was no significant difference between these local breeds. The term “Norica breed” was also common.
 
When in 1890 the first cattle breeders association was founded at St. Veit/Glan, the central committee of the Carinthian agricultural society decided to subsume the terms “Mariahofer”, “Lavanttaler” and “Norica breed” under the term “Kärntner Blondvieh”.
 
After that, the targeted breeding of Kärntner Blondvieh started. At the beginning of the 20^th  century efforts to cross breed with Frankenvieh (Franconian), Fleckvieh (Spotted Cattle) and Rotbunte (German Red Pied) brought unsatisfactory results. Therefore, systematic pure breeding was pursued only after World War I.
 
In 1924 the “Kärntner-Landes-Blondvieh-Zuchtverband” (Carinthian-Blondvieh breeders association) was founded.
In 1938 this association was merged with the “Verband der Mariahofer Viehzuchtgenossenschaft in Obersteiermark” (Association of Mariahofer breeders cooperative in Upper Styria), which had already been founded in 1911. The new “Blondviehzuchtverband Südmark” (Blondvieh breeders association South-March) was renamed to “Blondviehzuchtverband Kärnten-Steiermark” (Blondvieh breeders association Carinthia-Styria) after World War II.
 
In 1970, about 60,000 heads of Blondvieh were counted in Carinthia. In the following years the population radically diminished due to the preferred keeping of high-performance cattle breeds. Thus, in 1990 only just 100 heads of Blondvieh existed.
 
In 1990, FAO approved Kärntner Blondvieh as critically endangered breed.
At the same time, the municipalities Hüttenberg, Eberstein, Klein St. Paul, Brückl, and Guttaringen founded the “Regionalverein Norische Region” (Regional association Norica Region). Its working group Agriculture started with efforts for the preservation of Kärntner Blondvieh.
 
In 1994 the Blondviehzuchtverein (Blondvieh breeders association) was newly established. A phenotypical and genotypical study and assessment was made with regard to the participation in the Austrian gene-preservation programme. The conservation of rare, endangered breeds was linked with ÖPUL 1995, the Austrian Agri-environmental Programme, after Austria’s joining of the European Union in 1995.
In 1999 the “ARGE Genreserve Rind Österreich” was founded at Eberstein.
Intensive breeding activities could increase the number of females of Kärntner Blondvieh up to 500 in 2003. 
 
In 2003 the Community project “Agrarius 2003” was launched, which aimed at the conservation of the breed Kärntner Blondvieh and the promotion of its beef in the gastronomy.
In the context of ÖPUL 2000-2006, the Carinthian cattle breeders association, the Carinthian Chamber of Agriculture and the Blondvieh breeders association elaborated a gene-preservation programme. Further, associations such as “Verein zur Erhaltung gefährdeter Haustierrassen” (VEGH) and “Verein zum Schutze und zur Bewahrung der Erbanlagen heimischer gefährdeter landwirtschaftlicher Nutztierrassen” (ÖNGENE) are integrated in the efforts for the conservation of Kärntner Blondvieh. 
 
- Region:
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian Federal Province. It borders East Tyrol in the west, Salzburg and Styria in the north and north-east and Slovenia and Italy (Friaul and Venetia) in the south. It consists mostly of the mountain ranges of Upper Carinthia, the Klagenfurt basin (Lower Carinthia) and Middle-Carinthia.
The region of “Middle-Carinthia” includes “Norica Region”, “Hemmaland” and “Kärntner Holzstrasse”. The landscape is characterized by hills and low mountain ranges, forests (70%), agriculturally utilised areas, and numerous waters. The region extends from the Saualpe in the east to the Nockberge in the north-west.
 
“Norica Region” is located in the northern central area of Carinthia and encompasses the entire Görtschitz valley, parts of the Krappfeld and the area of St. Veit. Municipalities are Brückl, Diex, Eberstein, Frauenstein, Guttaring, Hüttenberg, Kappel, Klein St. Paul, Liebensfels, Magdalensberg, Maria Saal, Mühlen, St. Georgen/Längensee, and St. Veit a. d. Glan.
 
“Hemmaland” includes the municipalities of Dürnstein, Friesach, Gurk, Metznitz, Micheldorf, Mölbing, Straßburg, and Weitensfeld.
 
The region “Kärntner Holzstrasse” encompasses the municipalities Albeck, Arriach, Bad Kleinkirchheim, Deutsch-Griffen, Himmelberg, Glödnitz, Gnesau, Reichenau, and Streuberg.
 
Habitat:
Breeding activities relating to this old cattle breed are concentrated in the municipalities of Eberstein, Diex, Liebenfels, Althofen, and Hirt (municipality of Micheldorf).
 
In addition,Kärntner Blondvieh is to be found in Unterkärnten (Völkermarkt, Lavant valley), Styria, and bordering parts of Slovenia.
 
Climate:
Middle-Carinthia is located in the temperate zone of Central Europe. As Carinthia is situated south of the Alps, the climate is almost Mediterranean in the summer. It is characterized by relatively constant weather conditions with high solar radiation which alternates with thunderstorms and intense precipitation.
 
While summers are hot and moderately wet, winters are long and harsh. In autumn and winter temperature inversion often dominates the climate, characterized by calms, dense fog covering the frosty valleys, and a mild sunny weather higher up in the foothills and mountains.
 
The vegetation period is about 90 days in the high mountains and 180-220 days in most parts of Carinthia. The high mountains are covered with snow for more than 150 days.
These climatic conditions in alpine areas result in numerous alpine pastures with manifold plant societies. 
 
- Kärntner Blondvieh:

Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman

Kärntner Blondvieh (Carinthian Blond) is a native cattle breed typical of the region and well adapted to the environmental conditions of the mountainous regions in Carinthia.
Kärntner Blondvieh is a multi-purpose cattle for milk and meat production and is known for meat of excellent quality.
 
Carinthian Blond is middle-to large-boned. Adult males weigh on average 800 - 850 kg, females 500 - 600 kg and show average wither heights of 138 - 145 cm and 128 - 135 cm, respectively.
 
The skin of the unicoloured animals is silver-white to blond with a mucosal pigmentation in a light colour. Both sexes have horns. The horns and the hooves are both the colour of wax and may have deep notches or lines.
 
The animals are docile and good-natured, and have been described as willing and hard workers. Carinthian Blonds are extremely hardy and well adapted to mountain environments, which allows for extensive farming in alpine areas where harsh conditions prevail.
 
Kärntner Blondvieh has an excellent maternal instinct and is therefore well suited for suckler cow husbandry. On average, Kärntner Blondvieh yields 3,669 kg milk per cow.
 
Method of production:
Today about 90 farmers keep 780 cows and 30 bulls of Kärntner Blondvieh in Carinthia.
The calves of Kärntner Blondvieh are born and raised on the same farm in Carinthia. Most of these farms are organic farms.
 
The cattle are kept appropriate to the needs of the species, on alpine pastures in the summer and mainly in loose housing systems in winter.
The cattle are exclusively fed with grass and hay from the farm. The use of foreign feedingstuffs, feedingstuff of animal origin and genetically-engineered feedingstuff as well as of compound feed containing such additives and of milk replacers is strictly banned.
 
Calving occurs throughout the year. During calving the males are not separated from the herd.
 
Young bulls are castrated before they reach the age of 6 months. Then they are separated from their mother cows at the age of 6-8 months.
 
Transport and Slaughter:
The steers are slaughtered at 15 - 20 months having a final fattening weight on slaughter of 550-650 kg and a slaughter weight of about 350 kg.
Special attention is paid to the welfare of the steers during transport in order to avoid stress. They are slaughtered at two regional EC slaughterhouses as stress-free as possible.
 
Description of the meat:
The meat is from steers born and raised in Carinthia.
Kärntner Blondvieh beef is regularly marbled due to intramuscular fat inclusions and has a smooth, tender texture. This, together with optimal beef ripening, accounts for its excellent flavour, juiciness and tenderness after cooking.
The meat has a very unique aroma and flavour, which are directly related to the grazed local alpine flora.
 
Proof of origin:
Kärntner Blondvieh is identified by means of the official marks (ear tags) in accordance with the Austrian Animal Identification and Registration Ordinance (Tierkennzeichnungs- und Registrierungsverordnung) 2007 and is registered in a database.
The traceability of the cattle and the cattle farm at the point of sale is ensured by the “bos” system of AMA (Austria Agrar Marketing). The “bos” symbol is a label for beef that guarantees full traceability from the animal’s birth to the meat being served.
 
Connection with the geographical area and Traditional Knowledge:
- Specific soil and climatic conditions in the Middle-Carinthian region result in a richness of
  native alpine flora which enables extensive management of Blondvieh on alpine pastures.
- Kärntner Blondvieh is an autochthonous, endangered breed typical of Carinthia which is
  well adapted to the regional climatic conditions.
- Traditional rearing systems: Extensive keeping of herds on alpine pastures during the
  vegetation period.
- Strong link with the area: Cattle are grazed on alpine grasses and herbs and are fed with
  grass and hay produced on the farmer’s own holding.
- This type of management produces beef with specific characteristics in terms of composition
  and marbling. The meat has a very unique aroma and flavour which are directly related to the
  local alpine flora.
- The breeding and production of Mittelkärntner Blondvieh is the result of Traditional
  Knowledge passed down from generation to generation: the Traditional Knowledge and
  experience of the cattle farmers (adapting the management of herds to environmental
  constraints, historical selection of local breeds, the know-how of the shepherds, the method
  of producing beef, raising of cattle in mountain areas, genetic improvement), the know-how
  of the butchers (animal transport, experience  in slaughtering, cutting, meat ripening) and
  the expertise of the producer organisation (Carinthian Blond breeders association).
 
- Protection:
-
 
Key Words
Food and Agriculture, Traditional Knowledge, Austria, Carinthia, region, Middle-Carinthia, Blondvieh, Kärntner Blondvieh, cattle, Mittelkärntner Blondvieh, Carinthian Blond
 
Bibliography / References
- Agrarius 2003. Beschreibung Projekt Kärntner Blondvieh
  http://www.kaerntnerblondvieh.at/projekt.pdf
- Agricultural Genetic Resources of the Alps
  http://www.agrobiodiversity.net/alps/pdf/Alp_Synthesis_eng.pdf
- AUSTRIAN BLOND
  www.fao.org
- Blickpunkt. Was ist los?/Werbung, Blondvieh Vorbild in der Kärntner Rinderzucht.
  2007 pp. 32 - 33.
- Breed description: Carinthian Blond
  http://www.tiho-hannover.de
- Carinthian Blond
  http://www.centralpets.com/animals/mammals/cattle/cow5162.html
- Carinthian Blondvieh
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carinthian_Blondvieh
- Das Kärntner Blondvieh
  http://www.raumberg-gumpenstein.at/filearchive/fodok_4_1445_Kaerntner_Blondvieh.pdf
- Das Kärntner Blondvieh
  http://www.oengene.at/index.jsp?catId=50
- Die forstlichen Wuchsgebiete Österreichs Wuchsgebiet 6.2: Klagenfurter Becken
  http://bfw.ac.at/300/1196.html
- Ergebnisse der Milch- und Fleischleistungsprüfung 2007
  http://www.zar.at/article/articleview/53158/1/5
- F. Fischerleitner, B. Berger und V. Atteneder. 9. Wissenschaftstagung Ökologischer Landbau.
  Der Beitrag der österreichischen Biobauern zur Erhaltung der alten, seltenen Nutztierrassen
  http://orgprints.org/9000/01/9000_Fischerleitner_Poster.pdf
- Gefährdete Tierrassen/ Seltene Nutztierrassen
  http://www.ama.at/Portal.Node/public?gentics.rm=PCP&gentics.pm=gti_full&p.contentid=10008.37066&Gefaehrdete_Seltene_Tierrassen.pdf
- Kaerntner Blondvieh
  http://www.vegh.at/rassen/ausgabe/ausgabe.php3?info=Kaerntner %20Blondvieh
- Kärnten
  http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A4rnten
- Kärntner Blondvieh
  http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A4rntner_Blondvieh
- Kärntner Blondvieh
  http://www.kaerntnerblondvieh.at/
- Kärntner Blondvieh
  http://www.zar.at/imagecatalogue/imageview/30147/
- Kärntner Blondvieh/Austria
  http://lprdad.fao.org/
- Kärntner Holzstraße
  http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A4rntner_Holzstra%C3%9Fe
- Kennzahlen und geschichtliches zum Kärntner Blondvieh
  http://www.krzv.at/cms/front_content.php?idcat=49 
- Kombination von Pedigree- und Markerinformation für die Erstellung von Anpaarungsplänen
  zur Erhaltung gefährdeter Haustierrassen 
  http://www.dafne.at/dafne_plus_homepage/index.php?section=dafneplus&content=result&come_from=&&project_id=378
- Kultur und Natur Erleben
  http://www.norischeregion.at/
- KUSCHNIG, T. Beschreibung der Rasse und Analyse der genetischen Variabilität beim
  Kärntner Blondvieh
  https://zidapps.boku.ac.at/abstracts/oe_list.php?paID=3&paSID=3494&paSF=&paCF=0&paLIST=0
- Liebevolle Muttertiere: Blondvieh
  http://de-56-1773-127-1320.schwoager.at/ 
- Mittelkärnten
  http://www.mittelkaernten.com/index.htm
- Mittelkärnten Blondvieh
  http://www.genuss-region.at/
- Mittelkärnten- Eckdaten zur Region
  http://www.verwaltung.ktn.gv.at/4737_DE-k%e4rnten%3amitte-Region.64D66462983897385235eba64b300edb2a57ab6
- NUTS-3 Region Unterkärnten (Österreich)
  http://tirolatlas.uibk.ac.at/places/show.py/index?id=123;lang=de
- Referat Österreich
  http://www.referate10.com/referate/Geographie/16/Referat-Osterreich-reon.php
- Alpen
  http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpen
- Region Mittelkärnten
  http://www.hemmaland.at/ 
- Region Mittelkärnten
  http://www.tiscover.at/at/guide/5,de,SCH1/objectId,RGN293506at,curr,EUR,season,at1,selectedEntry,home/home.html - Rinderrassen
  http://aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at/aeiou.encyclop.r/r669550.htm
- Wie können Landwirte seltene Rassen erhalten? ÖPUL-Maßnahmen 2007-2013
 
All internet references last accessed on 23^th  of July 2008.
 
Language Code
German
 
Product of www.genuss-region.at
Yes
 
Regional contact
Kärntner Rinderzuchtverband
Zollfeldstr. 100/1, 9300 St. Veit/Gl.
Phone: 04212 2215 15
E-mail: moser@krzv.at
 
Authors: Mag. Eva Sommer, Dr. Erhard Höbaus
 

14.04.2011, Lebensministerium III/4