History
The Native Greek pig represents the Greek pig populations that have always been bred throughout Greece. The Greek pig is thought to belong to the Iberian type. It is bred in extensive management conditions in herds and only rarely housed in impromptu installations. Its diet is based on acorns and other forest fruits such as chestnuts, wild pear, tree branches, cranberries, tubers, roots, as well as grass. It may receive additional feeds of cereal, barley and corn. It is adaptable, and resistant to diseases and parasites. It has a long productive life that may reach 10 years.
Its breeding centers are mostly in areas of Aetoloakarnania, Elia, Fthiotis, Thessaly, central and east Macedonia. In northern Greece discernible wild boar crosses are frequently observed. In the Elia region it is still bred in domestic conditions even though many animals are crossed. In the past, prior to the recent development of intensive farming, indigenous pigs were subjected to genetic erosion from the importation of foreign breeds such as the British Large Black (Cornwall) and Large White (Yorkshire), the German Edelschwein, Landraces of various countries and in the pre-war period in northern Greece, the Hungarian Mangalitza .
Morphological Traits
The Native Greek pig is a small to medium-sized animal. Weights of adult animals range from 50-100 kg, but if raised in domestic conditions and well fed, they may attain weights of 130-200 kg.
The head is long, narrow and triangular in shape with a straight profile. The snout is wedge shaped and relatively narrow. The forehead is slightly concave. The ears are triangular, of medium size, held horizontally and facing forward, somewhat bent at half-length or slightly pendulous.
The belly is carried low and voluminous. The body is narrow, the backline straight or slightly raised and the limbs strong and long. The coat is dense, harsh, of medium length, profusely developed along the back and the withers creating a mane-like effect.
The colour, as stated in all early sources, exhibits great variability such as black, white, intermixed black-white (sivo), brown-grey, chestnut-gray, and yellow-gray. There are solid coloured, variegated or spotted populations. The skin is always dark. Lately, solid black animals tend to predominate because animals carrying white spotting or spots of other colours are perceived as not purebred, which is usually the case. However, this perception has resulted in a reduction in the variability of local populations. Moreover, for this reason the breed is often referred to as the “Greek Black Pig”.
Population
The population is considered ‘Not at Risk’. According to data from the Centers of Animal Genetics Resources (2019), the population of the Native Greek pig registered in the breed record is 3,140 breeding females and 255 male animals, in a total of 55 breeding establishments throughout the country.
For more information about all the Greek domestic breeds, you can purchase Amalthia's bilingual (Greek-English) book "Greek Domestic Breeds - A Hidden Treasure"
