Breed Profile: Dutch Landrace Goat
The Dutch Landrace Goat Origin Spans from Neolithic Times
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BREED: Breeders rescued the Dutch Landrace goat (Nederlandse Landgeit) using judicious upgrading and conservation techniques. This breed forms part of the Atlanto-Scandinavian breed group, which includes the Old Irish, Old English, Finnish Landrace, Icelandic, and Chèvre des Fossés goat breeds.
ORIGIN: Goats originally migrated to the Netherlands around 6500 years ago with settlers who formed the Linear Pottery culture. Remains of a major settlement have been excavated in Elsloo in Limburg province. Although this has yielded no direct evidence of goat keeping, it is known that this culture kept goats, sheep, cattle, and dogs. Sheep or goat bones dated from around 2500 BCE have been found near Vlaardingen.
Artwork from 1200 CE depicts goats; sketches and paintings between 1400 and 1900 show sufficient detail to reveal a characteristic type. These goats were named for their regions, for example, Drenthe, Zeeland, and Veluwe. Until around 1905 no other goats existed in the Netherlands.
History of the Dutch Landrace Goat
Up to the twentieth century, landrace goats were important to rural families on low incomes, as they provided food from very little input and were hardy in damp conditions. However, due to lack of knowledge and poor facilities at the turn of the century, the population declined. Whereas well-kept animals showed a strong physique, poor breeding and feed choices and inadequate stabling led to deformed joints and reduced immunity. Professor Kroon wrote in 1913 that “… our goat is the child of circumstances.”
Government and private efforts stepped in to support rural farmers and reboot goat farming and milk production. The benefactors believed that importing already developed dairy goats was the solution. Saanen goats were initially imported from Switzerland, but later from Germany, where they were better adapted to a similar climate and easier to transport. By 1910, around 600 head were imported. Similarly, Toggenburg were imported from 1905. The Swiss breeds were initially crossed with landrace goats, then intensively selected to produce high-yielding Dutch breeds: the Dutch White and the Dutch Toggenburg. The White requires higher inputs and care, while the Dutch Toggenburg is less demanding. These two breeds came to dominate, since when the dairy goat industry has boomed in the Netherlands.
The landrace, however, was forgotten. In 1958, when Rotterdam Zoo received a male and female from Gooi Nature Reserve, all that they knew was that the herder called them Veluwe goats. The pair produced strong, fertile offspring matching the historic type, and diseases and early mortality were rare. But the zoo could not find any others of the type in the Netherlands. A similar landrace exists in Norway, but imports were banned.
Rebuilding the Breed
A herd of six animals was kept at the zoo for 11 years and excess stock was sold. In 1969, one buck and two does moved to a park in Emmen. Then, in 1971, they and their offspring were transferred to the National Institute for Nature Management (RIN) in Leersum. Of 13 goats, only eight were suitable for breeding, although they suffered from hip dysplasia and some had swollen joints. Consequently, outcrossing was necessary for healthy offspring.
Mixed-breed male and female goats showing similar characteristics were sourced from rural areas. These were crossed with the landrace goats via a combination of upgrading techniques that aimed to maximize each landrace individual’s contribution, while maintaining genetic diversity and favoring characteristic traits. An explanation of upgrading and rescue conservation breeding techniques can be found in The Livestock Conservancy’s book Managing Breeds for a Secure Future.
As the old type was well documented in paintings, a breed type could be defined and animals showing this type selected.
In 1976 the Foundation for Rare Domestic Breeds (SZH) was founded, and it promoted the Dutch Landrace for land management, pets, and petting zoos. In 1982, the National Dutch Landrace Breeders’ Club (LFNL) was founded to take over breeding management and promotion.
CONSERVATION STATUS: While still at risk, the population level is maintained. In 1870, there were around 130,000 landrace goats, but only two were identified in 1958. After rebuilding the breed over several years, around 400 were registered in 1990. This has steadily increased to 2906 registered in 2023, with about one male to ten females.
BIODIVERSITY: Pedigrees were first documented by RIN, then from 1988 by LFNL, with the goal of mating the least related and most typical animals, with an emphasis on health and suitability for living on the land.
Characteristics of the Dutch Landrace Goat
DESCRIPTION: A strong, solidly-built, medium-sized goat with fairly short legs, broad stocky body, and short muscular neck. The head is short and broad with a concave profile, broad round nose, high forehead, and heavy horns. The ears are small and pricked.
Bucks have magnificent horns, normally curving backward, then outward with an upward twist (lyre-shaped). Alternatively, horns may curve straight back (scimitar-shaped) or curl down and around (ram-type). Does horns are shorter and slimmer, normally curving backward, but may twist outward or curl down.
The coat is dense, coarse, and shaggy. It is normally short in the female, often with longer fringes on the hind legs and back, while it is long in the male. Bucks have a thick tuft on the forehead, and both sexes have beards. The udder is spherical, well connected, and not so large that it would become entangled in the underbrush.
COLORING: Mainly pied with black, gray, brown, or beige markings on a white background. Some goats are solid white, black, or beige.
HEIGHT TO WITHERS: Adult does 25–28 in. (64–72 cm); bucks 29–35 in. (74–89 cm).
POPULAR USE: Conservation grazers for natural areas and nature reserves, maintaining open areas, such as moors.
PRODUCTIVITY: Does produce 660–1322 lb. (300–600 kg) of milk over 270–280 days, with butterfat averaging 3.5% and protein 3.25%.
ADAPTABILITY: Well-adapted to the damp climate and local conditions of the Netherlands, it is a tough and frugal landrace. However, goats need shelter from rain, sun, and cold wind and make good use of shrubs, fallen trees, and hilly terrain.
Sources
- National Dutch Landrace Goat Breeders’ Club (LFNL/Landelijke Fokkersclub Nederlandse Landgeiten).
- Edgar de Poel (rare breed specialist) via Oklahoma State University Extension.
Originally published in the November/December 2023 issue of Goat Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.