Maintaining native breed and mountain use
- The sheep of the breed Manex Buru Beltza remain between four and six months on the mountain, more than other breeds. As pastors have been changing sheep breeds, work systems and customs have also been changing: they have evolved towards more intensive grazing and the use of the bush has been decreasing progressively. The Buru Beltza partnership works to maintain the breed and the grazing model, and currently has between 90 and 100 pastors.
The Buru Beltza Association was born in 2010 in Ipar Euskal Herria, when about a hundred shepherds working with this breed of sheep met. Since the 1980s, this breed of sheep suffered a loss of about 60% in Iparralde: Around 200,000 heads, and currently only 74,000 heads. The evolution of this local breed, although not exclusively, is a reflection of the evolution of livestock and rural areas: “The Manex Buru Beltza breed takes advantage of the mountain and produces less milk by force than others,” explains Miren Oillarburu, a partner worker. For this reason, many pastors have changed their race in recent years.
Breed linked to the use of the mountain
The sheep of the breed Manex Buru Beltza remain in the mountain for four to six months, more than other breeds: “It’s a real mountain race, it’s useful to be on the mountain, it has the characteristics for it,” says Oillarburu. As the pastors of the region have been changing the sheep races, the working systems and customs have also been changing: they have evolved towards more intensive grazing and the use of the mountain has been decreasing progressively.
Some 300 farms currently work only with the Black Heads and another hundred with the Red Heads. “Today there are about 90-100 pastors within the association: some make gas and others sell milk.” The fourteen labourers that make up the Association Council try to belong to all mountain valleys and are in contact with the designation of origin AOP Ossau Iraty: “This origin mark comprises three breeds of local sheep and aims to maintain these breeds: it does not work only from a productivist point of view.”
Awareness raising initiatives
In addition to the Plaza de Oillarburu, the Association has a half-day partnership, which manages the pastors’ work bag and connects pastors who need workers and farmers who do not have a herd and want to work on it.
In order to sensitize society, the association organizes each year the Sky Day with the Ikastola de Garazi: sheep and gauze competitions, animations and other initiatives are held on this holiday of great success: “The festival allows us to make known this breed of sheep and sensitize people.” Also at the end of September, when it comes to lowering the sheep from the mountain, another feast is celebrated.
