Traditional transboundary cattle breeds in Nordic. Their cultural heritage and genetic resources

Traditional native breeds of cattle have played an important role in the cultural history of the Nordic countries. Animals kept in the northernmost parts of the Nordic countries have over time adapted to conditions that in many cases are harsh and these animals have made it possible for humans to establish northern societies and live in remote places. In the project, genetic and cultural values of the three northernmost cattle breeds, northern Finncattle, Swedish Mountain Cattle and the STN-breed from Norway (sidet troendefe og nordlandsfe) are investigated. During the 20th century, the number of animals of the native breeds declined rapidly and very replaced by international commercial breeds. Today, the native cattle breeds consist of animals that are phenotypically and genetically y, but their common origin has not yet been determined and the purpose of this project is, among other thing, examine genetic diversity and the pedigree of the traditional cattle breeds. The project is funded with a grant from Interreg Nord, The Regional Council of Lapland and the County Administrative Board of Norrbotten 2019-2022 and has 5 Nordic partners. NordGen is the coordinator for the project.