Swedish Mountain
(local/other name)

(most common name)
• Svensk Fjällras
(local/other name):
• Fjaellrind (Germany)
• Fjällras
• Fjällko
• Swedish Highland
• Swedish White Polled

The Swedish Mountain is a polled breed that is valued for producing a good quality milk protein for cheese production and is well suited to its local mountainous environment.

The Swedish Mountain coat can be:
• solid white
• white with red or black points and side spots
• white-backed to almost solid white with red or black points
• colorsided red with red points
• colorsided black with black points

• 1892 - Swedish Mountain herdbook established
• 1920–1938 - Swedish Mountain breed society formed

During the 1960s–70s, the Swedish Mountain had a particularly difficult time with widespread inbreeding and outcrossing to Jersey and Friesian cattle. Also, a popular white bull was later found have spread the serious genetic defect of PHA (pulmonary hypoplasia with anasarca) and this caused numbers to drop dramatically. These events led to the Swedish Mountain being split into:
• Fjällnära boskap
• Fjällras

The Swedish Mountain is listed as ‘critical’ and current microsatellite studies add weight to giving the breed a high conservation priority.

(Swedish) fjäll = mountain

This page was last updated on: 2024-08-14

You can also go to:

My Daily Cow® Sweden and read about other Swedish cattle breeds.

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