Dutch Landrace

The Dutch Landrace Goat, also known as Nederlandse Landgeit, is the original goat breed of the Netherlands and shows great similarity with other northwest European landraces found in Scandinavia or the feral goats in Great Britain. The Dutch Landrace is a medium sized, horned breed usually with long hair. All colors are common except for the Toggenburg coloration.

In 1958 the original population was nearly extinct and had decreased to only two animals. These two animals in combination with highly similar goats found in rural areas were used to create a successful breeding program, leading to a population of more than a thousand animals. Based on an inbreeding calculation program, breeders receive annual advice concerning the best fits ensuring the lowest level of inbreeding possible. Presently the Dutch Landrace are not used commercially, apart from the herds of 60 to 120 goats kept in kept in national reserves and used to keep naturally open areas, such as moors, free of trees.