Merinizzata Italiana

The Merinizzata Italiana is a modern breed, created over several decades in the twentieth century by cross-breeding of indigenous Gentile di Puglia and Sopravissana stock with imported Merino breeds such as the French Berrichon du Cher and Île-de-France, and the German Merinolandschaf. The aim was to produce a good meat breed without sacrificing wool quality. It is reared mainly in the southern and central Italian regions of Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Lazio, the Marche, Molise, Puglia and Umbria. It is one of the seventeen autochthonous Italian sheep breeds for which a genealogical herd-book is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders. Total numbers for the breed were estimated in the year 2000 at head, of which were registered in the herd-book; in 2013 the number recorded in the herd-book was . == Characteristics ==

It is of medium to large size and weight: rams weigh on average and stand some , while ewes average in weight and in height. The fleece and face are both white, and the skin is unpigmented; the fleece covers the whole body, extending far down the legs and sometimes onto the cheeks and forehead. Both sexes are naturally polled (without horns). == Use ==

Lambs are usually weaned at 6–7 weeks, and slaughtered soon after, at a weight of . Rams yield about of wool, ewes about ; the wool is of good quality, with a fibre diameter of microns. == References ==