Category:Krskopolje Hog

The Krskopolje or Blackbelted pig is the only Slovene autonomous pig breed.

Origin and History
In general the Carniola and Styria regions of Slovenia were dominated by a darker pig breed, which gradually cross-bred with whiter (lighter) breeds.

In the second half of the nineteenth century many Suffolk boars were imported to Carniola, and Berkshire and Yorkshire boars to the Styria region.

The first comprehensive description of the Krskopolje pig was published at the end of the previous century by Rohrman (1899), emphasizing the strongly developed pig production in the Lower Carniola region (Dolenjska), particularly in the area of Krsko polje. The back part of the body was usually black, while the front part was more or less white, in the form of a wide white stripe or belt around the body. The medium-length head was flat with big, hanging ears. The breed is characterized by an average birth rate, a good appetite, good growth ability, and large adult weight of 250-300 kg.

The later description of the breed is dated to the time immediately before World War II. On the occasion of an agricultural poll held in 1938, Oblak reported about pig breeding and, among other things, mentioning that the primitive Krskopolje pigs are no more to be found as a pure breed. However, remains of the primitive breed exist in the most remote parts of the country, where there are pigs, whose outlook, color, and several measures remind one of this breed. The Krskopolje pig distinguished itself especially by its ability for producing fat as well as meat of excellent quality. This pig became more and more rare, as the Krskopolje pig had such a small region of presence, inevitably degenerating as inbreeding occurred. Eventually, the breeding region was extended and the unified breed introduced.

After World War II and through the fifties and sixties, important research work was done on the Krskopolje pig. In 1956, an unknown author described the development and biological traits of the breed. He especially emphasized their modesty, fitness, and meat quality. He has also emphasized the detrimental effect of inbreeding. At that time, the first professional measurements of birth rate, growth ability, and meatiness of the blackbelted pig were done.

Eiselt and Ferjan established in 1972 that the first description of the blackbelted pig by Rohrman is strongly deviated from the pig known from the period after World War I. They mentioned variability within breed in exterior, with a severely weakened constitution. A relatively high number of piglets were born per litter (10.07), but there was a considerable number of stillborn piglets (2.13). The losses in the suckling period until weaning were high (26%), making the number of finally reared piglets rather small (5.87). The authors also noticed the differences concerning the form and size of the head and ears. They presumed the changes originated from cross-breeding of the first blackbelted pigs with English (Berkshire, Cornwall) and other pig breeds.

Birth Rate Analysis for Krskopolje pig, 1995

In the period between 1990 and 1992, it was investigated how many Krskopolje pigs can be found in the areas of Gorjanci, BrePice, and Krsko polje. Some remains of the breed were found. After 1992, work on preservation of the Krskopolje pig continued.