Slovenian indigenous breeds of domestic animals for food and nutrition

Biodiversity in livestock farming

The preservation of biodiversity and, with it, indigenous or local breeds is one of the fundamental principles of global and European agricultural policy today. Native breeds are part of our cultural and natural heritage and play a key role in preserving biodiversity, the cultural landscape, and rural settlement. The loss of biodiversity in individual domestic animal species threatens sustainable development and the preservation of agricultural land and is causing increasing overgrowth of rural areas. The introduction of non-native breeds in recent decades has led to the loss of some indigenous or local breeds, or their interbreeding with other breeds. In Slovenia, we have 14 local-native breeds, of which 4 are endangered and 8 are critically endangered. The populations are small, with some breeds limited to certain regions. We owe a debt of gratitude to breeders in particular for preserving some breeds to this day.