Improving wool quality and natural colours in the Sopravissana sheep

Angeliki Riganatou

The Sopravissana was first bred in the seventeenth century by crossing a local Italian breed with French Merinos. The breed became known for its wool quality (about 20µm). With competition from Australia and New Zealand, wool quality became a less important production trait, and breeders turned their attention to milk and meat production, including crossbreeding with other sheep breeds. This process has resulted in a reduction in the wool quality of the Sopravissana, which is now 22-25 µm (still a reasonable standard), and also the near extinction of the breed.

The breeding of Sopravissana sheep was a traditional rural activity in central Italy - the name originates from a small town in the Sibillini Mountains National Park, that extends through Umbria and Marche. Our project involves six farms in Marche, all situated in disadvantaged rural areas, three of them close to the National Park.

The objective of the project is to create a Breeding Centre for natural coloured sheep, by mating brown and black New Zealand Merinos with 200 Sopravissana ewes, for the following purposes:

• to improve the quality of Sopravissana wool. The Merino rams that are being used are extremely fine (16 µm).
• to create a genetic line of coloured sheep, in order to avoid all the toxic and dangerous procedures used to dye wool white (there is a further study that we are carrying out, investigating the processes of dying white wool with vegetable dyes. Creating the genetic lines will enable us to study genetic transmission of colours, especially brown. We will create a database and conduct experiments on mating and breeding coloured sheep, with particular regard to nutrition.
• to revive traditional local craftsmanship, and to promote this as a tourist attraction in a niche market. The project aims to create a linked chain from the breeding of the sheep to the final manufacture and marketing of the wool products, in order to stimulate the local economy. We are studying fibre quality, in collaboration with ENEA and CNR, and we also intend to examine the possibility to blend different kinds of fibres to improve the product.
• to create a shearing service for the use of wool producers in the region and to provide courses of instruction in shearing.
• to create a Central Italy Wool Centre, alongside other projects in Umbria involving alpaca and mohair.
• to create a market for coloured sheep, and a local network of coloured sheep breeders and wool craftsmanship.

The project began in March 1996, and involves a number of Italian organisations: FSAM, Ovi.Ca, University of Camerino, ENEA, CNR, CTA.

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Ovi.Ca is a part of the Italian Agricultural Confederation (CIA), an association active in the promotion of development in rural areas. Other projects currently being undertaken include investigating methods to protect agricultural land from the activities of wild boar in the Apennines, and another to assess the damage done to livestock by wolves and wild dogs.

Angeliki Riganatou,

c/o Ovi.Ca, Corso Stamira, 29, Ancona, Italy.

Tel: +39 360 329991 Fax: +39 71 56314

24th February 1997