Merino sheep

Merino is a group of domestic sheep breeds, characterized by very fine and soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages and for several centuries remained a strict Spanish monopoly; Exports of the breed were not allowed and the mere attempt was punishable by a death sentence.

Later, during the 18th century, some flocks were sent to the courts of several European countries, including France — where the origin of the Rambouillet Merino subbreed was, Hungary, the Netherlands, Prussia, Saxony and Sweden. Merino subsequently spread to many parts of the world, including South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina (in 1794). Numerous recognized breeds and subbreeds have developed from the original type; These include, among others, American Merino and Delaine Merino in America, Australian Merino, Booroola Merino and Peppin Merino in Oceania, Gentile di Puglia, Merinolandschaf and Rambouillet in Europe.

Etymology

The name «merino» was not documented in Spain until the beginning of the XV century, and its origin is disputed. There are two hypotheses:

• This may be an adaptation of the name of a Lebanese official inspector (merino) on a merinth, who may have also inspected the sheep pastures. This word comes from the medieval Latin maiorinusor chief official of a people, Major, which means "greater." However, there is no indication in any of the Lion or Castilian legal codes that this official had duties related to the sheep, and the late date on which the name of the race was first documented makes this relationship unbelievable.
• It can also derive from the name of an Imazighen tribe, the Marini—in Spanish, Benimerines or Merinites—which occupied parts of the southwest of the Iberian peninsula during the 12th and 13th centuries. This point of view gains some support from the derivation of many medieval Spanish pastoral terms of the Arab or Berber languages. However, in the same way as the previous hypothesis, it seems unlikely to be such a backward etymology in time, when the merinites were in Spain; the origin of the race occurred much later.

Origin

There are three hypotheses about the origins of the merino breed in Spain:

• the import of North African herds in the centuryXII;
• its origin and improvement in Extremadura in the centuries XII and XIII;
• the selective crossing of Spanish sheep with imported rams in several times, so its characteristic fine wool was not completely developed until the centuryXV or even later.

The first hypothesis states that the breed improved with the subsequent importation of rams from North Africa; The second proposes the origin from North African sheep related to types from Asia Minor, and both affirm an early date and a majority origin from North Africa for the Merino breed.

But sheep were relatively unimportant to the economy in the Córdoba caliphate, and there is no record of extensive transhumance before its fall in the 1030s. The Merinids, as a nomadic Berber Zenata tribe, maintained numerous flocks of sheep in what is now Morocco, and its leaders, who formed the Marinid sultanate, intervened militarily in southern Spain, supporting the Emirate of Granada several times between the end of the century XIII and early XIV. Although it is possible that they brought sheep to Spain, they did not There is definitive evidence that they brought herds. Having intervened as a military force, they would hardly be in a position to protect large herds or practice selective breeding.

The third hypothesis, which states that the merino breed developed in the Iberian Peninsula over several centuries, with an important contribution from Iberian sheep, is supported both by recent genetic studies and by the absence of merino wool before the century XV. The predominant native sheep breed in Spain since pre-Roman times was the churra, a homogeneous group closely related to the European sheep types from the north of the Pyrenees and raised mainly for meat and milk, with coarse, colored wool. Churra wool had little value, except where its sheep had been crossed with a fine wool breed from southern Italy in Roman times. Genetic studies have shown that the Merino breed was developed by crossing Churra sheep with rams. from other breeds in different periods, including Italian rams in Roman times, North African rams in the medieval period and English sheep from wool-bearing breeds in the 20th century. transform:lowercase">XV.

Development of your offspring

In the 18th century it was first introduced to France. It was on the initiative of the first Bourbon king Philip V that he gave pairs of this sought-after breed to his ancestor, the King of France Louis XIV. See the Rambouillet Merino breed. Until then it was a very serious crime to take this breed out of Spain. In fact, the Mesta Council was responsible for ensuring that this did not happen. Spain exported its highly valued wool to the rest of Europe as a monopoly. During the War of Independence the French and English armies took quite a few herds of merino and took them to their countries. Over time, its breeding spread throughout Europe and America (see for example William Jarvis), and in the 19th century Great Britain exported it in large numbers to its overseas colonies. 80% of the Merino wool consumed in the world currently comes from the Australian herd of 148 million Merino sheep.

Currently, most of the heads are concentrated in the United States, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand and, above all, Australia.

Features

It is a compact breed, with a short neck and legs, an impression that is reinforced due to its long, fine and curly wool. This is of better quality in animals that are raised in sunny and slightly sandy environments. The color of the mantle is whitish, without spots, and only in very rare cases do males have spiral horns.

Breeds from the merino stock

There are various breeds derived from this trunk. In Spain you can find, in addition to the white and black varieties, the Grazalema merino and the Montes Universales merino; in France, in addition to the Rambouillet merino there is the early merino (also integrated in Spain). Portugal has three recognized merino breeds: merina da Beira Baixa, merina Branca and merina Preta.

Otras variedades destacadas son la negretti, la marina americana, la vermont, la delaine y la merina australiana.