Albera (cattle)

Although the presence of a cattle breed in the Albera Massif was noted in the nineteenth century, the first description of the Albera dates from 1957. At that time three sub-types were distinguished within the breed: a dark-coated type; a variable paler type; and a third type deriving from cross-breeding with Braunvieh stock. More recently, the types are considered to be two: the Negra, or dark type, and the Fagina, or paler type. In 1999 the Fagina type was found to be genetically closer to the Bruna de los Pirineos breed than to the Albera Negra type. A breeders' association, the Associació de Ramaders de la Vaca de l'Albera, was founded in 2008. The Albera breed received official recognition on 27 July 2011; a breed standard was approved, and a herd book established. At the end of 2014 the total population was recorded as 763, of which 618 were female and 145 male. The Albera cow lives in almost complete freedom and bases its diet on the vegetation of the forests and meadows within its reach, with a special predilection for the fruits and tender buds of the beech (for this reason it is also called fagina), and at certain times of the year a contribution of supplementary food is made.