Pinzgauer Rind (Pinzgauer Cattle) *

The ancestors of the Pinzgauer cattle were introduced to their primary breeding area in the Hohe Tauern mountain range located in today's Federal Province of Salzburg by the Celts around 800 B.C. The name is derived from the region “Pinzgau” in Salzburg.
 
Register number: 29 
 
 
Disclosure date
The ancestors of the Pinzgauer cattle were introduced to their primary breeding area in the Hohe Tauern mountain range located in today's Federal Province of Salzburg by the Celts around 800 B.C. The name is derived from the region “Pinzgau” in Salzburg.
Herd books dated in the 1700's show that selective breeding had been going on for some time. A first description of the cattle stems from Freiherr von Mesnil (1857), but the Pinzgauer breed was first defined in precise terms after the establishment of the first breeders associations at the end of the 19^th    century.
In 1834, a genetically hornless Pinzgauer breed, known as “Jochberger Hummeln”, was recorded for the first time. 
 

Photo: BM...

Title 
Pinzgauer Rind (Pinzgauer cattle)
Breed classification Type PIN 13 (old breeding goal) 
 
Abstract or claim
Purebred Pinzgauer cattle is a breed recognized by the EU as endangered domestic animal breed. The traditional extensive forms of livestock farming of the Pinzgauer breed in the alpine primary breeding areas resulted in a natural selection of animals that are highly adaptable to the harsh surroundings and deliver excellent meat and milk quality. For centuries this extensive cattle farming has contributed to the preservation of the alpine and mountainous landscape in Austria.
 
Name of product, Product class
Beef, meat products
 
Name of region
Pinzgau, Salzburg
 
Field of search
Food and Agriculture
 
Name(s) of information provider
ARGE Pinzgauer Rind
 
Name of applicant for title 
----
 
Holder of knowledge or associated resources
ARGE Pinzgauer Rind
 
Grantee(s), holder(s),
assignee(s) or owner(s) of title, if any 
----
 
Descriptors
- History
Around 800 B.C. the Celts introduced the ancestors of the Pinzgauer cattle to their primary breeding area in the Hohe Tauern mountain range located in today's Federal Province Salzburg. The name is derived from Salzburg’s region “Pinzgau”.
In the various valleys of Salzburg, Tyrol, Carinthia, but also in Bavaria and Styria, different types of Pinzgauer breed evolved, known as Pinzgauer, Pongauer, Salzburger Schecken, Mölltaler, Brixentaler, Tiroler Rückenschecken, Traunsteiner, or Berchtesgadener.
The "Pinzgauer breed" was first defined in more precise terms after the establishment of the first breeders' associations at the end of the 19^th  century.
Another specialty is the genetically hornless Pinzgauer breed, known as "Jochberger Hummeln" (‘hummel’ meant hornless). The first record of a hornless calf dates back to 1834 - on the "Hallerwirt" estate in Aurach in the Federal Province of Tyrol.
As early as 1820, Pinzgauer cattle was exported to regions which are now parts of Romania, the Czech and the Slovak Republics. At the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Pinzgauers were the most common breed of cattle.
During World War II, Pinzgauer breeders lost their independence and all breeding activities were severely restricted. In 1950, Pinzgauer breeders formed an association. The amendment of the laws on animal breeding between 1965 and 1971 eliminated existing breed restrictions and, in 1969, led to the decision to include Red Friesian blood in order to improve milk performance, udder shape, and milkability. However, some breeders in the mountains insisted on pure breeding. Dr. Josef Lederer, head of the animal breeding department of the Agricultural Chamber Salzburg, is the author of the applicable breeding program, which again relies on the idea of pure breeding and is supported within the framework of the Austrian program for environmentally benign agricultural production.
 
- Region
Primary breeding areas in Austria are the Tauern valleys of Salzburg and Tyrol.
 
- Pinzgauer cattle
Originally, the Pinzgauer breed was part of the European high-altitude livestock breeds and Pinzgauer cattle were dual-purpose animals raised specifically for dairy and meat production.
The robust, medium-frame and efficient Pinzgauer breed evolved from the red-spotted Bavarian cattle and the strong-boned, single-coloured Slavic cattle. The Pinzgauer is characterized by its chestnut-brown base colour and its typical white streak on the back, the flanks and the belly as well as on the thighs and calves. This typical colour is a dominant hereditary feature. The distinctive and unique russet coat of the Pinzgauer cattle and their pigmented eyes provide perfect protection against UV radiation even in extreme climates.
Special rarities are the nowadays rare black-and-white types and the genetically hornless variant, also known as "Jochberger Hummeln".
The Pinzgauer breed is the only breed autochthonous to Austria that has gained importance all over the world. Currently, there are about one million of these animals in 25 different countries (including 8 European countries) on four continents. About 90 % of the world's stock is found outside of Austria.
 
Pinzgauer cattle are famous for their ideal ratio between milk and meat and, in particular, for certain secondary performance traits, such as the ability to travel across difficult terrain and great distances, an excellent maternal instinct (keeping of suckler cows) and hardiness, which allow for extensive farming in alpine areas where harsh conditions prevail. Today, the Pinzgauer is of importance also as organic cattle and as a "national-park breed”.
 
- Utilization
Scientific studies carried out by Prof. Franz Pirchner at the Technical University of Munich attest to the superior quality of Pinzgauer beef on the basis of both subjective and objective quality criteria. Its tenderness, marbling, succulence, flavor, and negligible grill losses as well as its fine-fibred quality are among the strong points of Pinzgauer beef. 
 
Key words
Food and Agriculture, Traditional knowledge, Austria, Salzburg, region, Pinzgauer Rind, Pinzgauer breed, Breed classification Type PIN 13 (old breeding goal).
 
Bibliography / References 
- Pinzgauer Rind (Pinzgauer cattle) 
  http://www.pinzgauerrind.at/ 
 
- The Original Pinzgauer 
  http://www.vegh.at/pinz.htm 
 
- International Pinzgauer Cattle Breeders Association 
  http://www.pinzgauer-cattle.com/ 
 
- Austrian Implementation Strategy for the Convention on Biological Diversity
  http://www.biodiv.org/doc/world/at/at-nbsap-01-en.doc 
 
- Pinzgauer cattle 
  http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/ 
 
Language code
German

Product of www.genuss-region.at
Yes
 
Regional contact 
Thomas Edenhauser
ARGE Pinzgauer Rind
Mayerhoferstraße 12
5751 Maishofen
Phone: 06542/68229-13
Fax: 06582/68229-81
E-mail: t.edenhauser@rinderzuchtverband.at
www.pinzgauerrind.at 
 
Authors: Mag. Eva Sommer, Dr. Erhard Höbaus
 
* revised version in preparation
 

15.04.2011, Lebensministerium III/4