Swedish sheep breeds
The sheep is one of the oldest domesticated animals in Sweden, and there have been long traditions of caring for and utilising sheep for the production of both wool (for clothes, carpets, sails, and blankets) and meat (as an important source of nutrition).
The original sheep in Sweden were of the Northern-European Short-tail type, and all the Swedish native sheep breeds stem from this sheep type. Isolation between different landscapes, such as Dalarna, Gotland, and Skåne has led to strong local traditions for both breeding and processing wool. Today, 14 sheep breeds are recognised as native breeds by the Swedish Board of Agriculture (Jordbruksverket). These include:
• Dala Fur (or Pelt) sheep
• Fjällnäs sheep
• Gestrike sheep
• Gotland sheep
• Gute sheep
• Helsinge sheep
• Klövsjö sheep
• Roslag sheep
• Rya sheep
• Swedish Finewool sheep
• Svärdsjö sheep
• Tabacktorp sheep
• Värmland sheep
• Åsen sheep
Most of the breeds originate from local breeds at different locations in Sweden and are therefore named after the location. For example, the Fjällnäs sheep is derived from older breeds kept at Fjällnäs, and the Helsinge sheep stems from older local sheep kept in Hälsingland. Some of the breeds are more closely related than the others. For example, both Värmland sheep and Tabacktorp sheep both descend from local sheep kept in Värmland.
Roslag sheep are considered one of the oldest Swedish native breeds and a direct descendant of the most primitive sheep that were spread across the farming community in earlier centuries.
While all of the Swedish native breeds are all descendants of the ancient Swedish landrace sheep, their isolation at the different locations has led to genetic distinctness due to both genetic drift and selection for traits that fit the different landscapes. For example, animals from Roslagen are small and hardy, while those from Dalarna have long wool for rug-making
Classification
The Swedish breeds are roughly divided into different groups: Allmoge sheep and "specialist breeds".
The Allmoge sheep include the majority of the Swedish native breeds:
• Dala Fur (or Pelt) sheep
• Fjällnäs sheep
• Gestrike sheep
• Helsinge sheep
• Klövsjö sheep
• Roslag sheep
• Svärdsjö sheep
• Tabacktorp sheep
• Värmland sheep
• Åsen sheep
The "specialist breeds" include:
• Gute sheep (primitive specialist bred for preserving the 'Viking-age' look)
• Gotland sheep (pelt specialist)
• Swedish Finewool sheep (textile specialist bred for high-quality clothing wool and high fertility)
• Rya sheep (carpet specialist bred for the long, wavy wool used in traditional Rya rugs)
Characteristics
The breeds also have distinct traits such as colour, wool type, and horns. This can be roughly divided into the different groups.
For example, Allmoge sheep are generally small in size and are known to have a varied/ dual wool coat, have a varied colour range, and the ewes are usually naturally polled. These breeds are mainly kept for gene preservation and not production.
Like the Allmoge sheep breeds, the Rya sheep also have double-coated wool, but due to selective breeding, their wool has longer and more shiny guard hairs with little kemp (hollow hair fibres). This breed also has bigger sheep and is generally polled in both sexes.
The Gute sheep is slightly larger than the Allmoge sheep and is bred for history and hardiness. This breed, therefore, can have both double coated and triple coated wool (has the primitive triple coat, with different shades of grey, black, white and brown, and both sexes have horns.
The Gotland sheep is related to the Gute sheep, because both breeds originate from the old type of sheep kept at Gotland, but this breed has had a different breeding goal: pelt. They therefore have different traits than Gute sheep. They are larger, their wool has silky grey curls, and they are naturally polled.
The Finewool sheep has a single-coat that is soft with solid colours (either white, black, or brown) and is horned. The Swedish Finewool sheep is the largest of the Swedish native sheep breeds.
Conservation
The breeds are governed by different breed associations under the umbrella association Swedish Sheep Breeding Association (Svenska Fåravelsförbundet). The Swedish Sheep Breeding Association governs the official database for breeding, known as Elitlamm, where herdbooks for all the Swedish native breeds are kept and updated by the different breeding associations.
The Allmoge sheep are all governed by the Swedish Allmoge Sheep Association (Föreningen Svenska Allmogefår). This association governs the different live gene banks for the breeds, and is funded by membership fees as well as EU funding received via Jordbruksverket.
The four remaining breeds have their own breed associations, these are also funded by Jordbruksverket and include the Swedish Finewool Sheep Association (Föreningen för Svenska finullsfår), the Gotland Sheep Association (Gotlandsfårföreningen), the Gute Sheep Association (Föreningen Gutefåret), and the Rya Sheep Association (Föreningen Ryafåret).
The Swedish Finewool Sheep Association was formed in 1988, which was an important step for the breed to be included in the list of Swedish livestock breeds in 1995. Later, in 1998 the breed became eligible for subsidies.
The Gute Sheep Association works to preserve and promote the Gute sheep and was founded in 1977. The main purpose of the association is to manage the gene bank for Gute sheep. The live gene bank for Gute sheep was founded in 2008, and in 2015, around 80 herds were connected to the gene bank. All the data on approved gene bank animals is registered in Elitlamm, which also functions as the gene bank register for the Gute sheep Association and includes pedigree information.
The Gotland Sheep Association is responsible for keeping and updating the herdbook for purebred Gotland sheep. This studbook includes pedigree registrations. The association determined the breeding goal of Gotland sheep. Today, it is highlighted that the unique coat characteristics (shiny coat with softly coiled curls of three-dimensional character) and the grey colours should be preserved.
The Rya Sheep Association was founded in 1978, and works systematically to conserve and breed Rya sheep as a purebred breed. In 1915, the breed was "re-discovered" after a search for sheep with strong and shiny wool, and in 1917 organised breeding was established and the animals were registered in their own herdbook. This work has been essential for the management of the breed today.
At present, all breeds except for the Gotland sheep are considered at risk of extinction according to the number of breeding ewes in the population. Of these, three are reckoned as critically endangered – where Tabacktorp sheep is especially critical with only 54 breeding ewes in the population.
More detailed history about the conservation history of each of the breeds can be found here.
According to the systematic study conducted by Kierkegaard et al (2020), there were 16 easily accessible studies that included the Swedish sheep breeds before 2019. Gute sheep is the most studied of the breeds (a total of 14 characterisation studies), while Åsen sheep, Svärdsjö sheep, and Gestrike sheep are the least studied (three studies each). All of the breeds have been included in one study of socio-cultural importance except for the Klövsjö sheep. Most characterisation studies have comprised phenotypic and genotypic characterisation, including population structure, within- and between breed diversity, as well as the investigation of genotypes responsible for black wool. Studies have also focused on welfare and behaviour, health indicators (i.e., the variation of selenium, cobalt and copper) and how to improve the analysis of wool.
Further investigation and characterisation of important traits in sheep is necessary to improve future their management and conservation. Since these breeds also form a part of Sweden’s cultural heritage, it is equally important to explore historical knowledge of their development and significance for human societies. By securing more in-depth socio-cultural knowledge, we are not only strengthening conservation efforts but also enhancing our understanding of broader societal development.
Read more about our other native breeds
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Nordland/Lyngen Horse
The first known and documented exhibition where this breed participated, was in 1898 at Lyngseidet in Troms. In the 1930s, organized breeding of Nordland/Lyngen horses started.
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The Nordic brown bee
Honey bees are threatened by intensive agriculture, habitat loss and climate changes worldwide and are important to conserve, not only due to their honey production but also due to their pollination services.
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Finnish Landrace Chicken
In 1974, the agricultural advisory agency collaborated with Seiskari and published a call to find remains of the Finnish landrace chicken. As a result, one flock was found in South-East Finland. This family line was named after its geographical location as “Savitaipaleenkanta”.
