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Valais Blackneck goat
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Valais Blackneck goat

Place of Origin Switzerland, Europe
Origin The Valais Blackneck is a meat and dairy breed of domestic goat from the canton of Valais, in southern Switzerland, and neighbouring areas of northern Italy. The largest concentration is in the area of Visp (Viège). It is present in modest numbers in Austria and Germany. It is known by many names, including German: Walliser Schwarzhalsziege or Gletschergeiss; French: Col Noir du Valais, Chèvre des Glaciers or Race de Viège; and Italian: Vallesana or Vallese.

There is also an Italian strain, called "Vallesana", with the line of separation between black and white parts situated more cranially than the Swiss strain, that is just behind the olecranus. The Italian strain is actually very reduced in number.
Purpose Meat, Milk
Characteristics The Valais Blackneck has long hair in distinctive colouring, black from the nose to behind the shoulder and white from there to the tail. The English Bagot goat, which is similarly coloured, is thought to derive from this breed by descent from one presented to Richard II of England in 1380.

Traits
Weight - Male: minimum 75 kg (165 lb)
- Female: minimum 55 kg (121 lb)
Height - Male: 85 cm (33 in)
- Female: 75 cm (30 in)
Skin colour: often pale
Wool colour: black foreparts, white hind parts
Face colour: black
Horn status: horned in both sexes
Other Considerations Within Italy, the Vallesana is raised in the provinces of Verbania and Vercelli. It is one of the forty-three autochthonous Italian goat breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep- and goat-breeders.

At the end of 2013 the total numbers for the breed were 3000–3400 in Switzerland and either 191 or 446 in Italy. In 2012 Austria reported 100–300 head and Germany 429.
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