At the end of November, in northern Hungary, the cool breeze finishes sweeping away the dead leaves. A cold, sunny Tuesday is coming up in this region, which is home to the last mountainous and wooded elevations of the Northern Mountains, before the downhill run to the Danube Valley. In the village of Alsópetény, a small white house overlooks the undulating landscape, occupied by strange little black sheep. They are Racka sheeps, one of Hungary's extraordinary animals! It must be said that here, people have taken it upon themselves to populate the landscape with a variety of fantasy animals. On the steppes, the Hungarian grey ox has two huge lyre-shaped horns. A little further on, the Mangalica pig wears a remarkable golden coat. The Racka sheep compensates for its small height with two majestic twisted horns that can reach one metre!
The little black sheep that graze in Alsópetény belong to Niki and Ákos, a couple of shepherds who welcomed us under the Hungarian sun. It was the perfect time to taste their mutton rillettes and quince juice on the stone table in front of the house. Ákos is inexhaustible about the history of his property, which was built from the ground up from 1990 to the present day. At the end of communism, Ákos' father bought the 80 hectares of meadows and woods that make up the farm. In 2006, the small white house was erected and the sheepfold built below was home to a small flock of 60 Racka sheep. From that moment on, the farm participated in the conservation of the black Racka. Today Niki and Ákos keep a flock of 600 Racka sheep, the second largest flock of black Rackas in Hungary. They settled on the farm four years ago. In Hungary, few people make a living from breeding old sheep and Niki and Ákos are no exception: they employ a young shepherd to help them on the farm because their respective activities as a biologist and translator provide them with an additional income.
Photo. One of Racka's herds, accompanied by two donkeys, grazes in the hilly meadow beside the house
Breeding black Rackas is not a simple task! The small number of sheep in the breed implies a fine management of the genetics to avoid inbreeding and deviations from the breed standards. The genetic resource centre helps breeders to set up appropriate crossbreeding for the long-term survival of the flock. In return, we sleep with the ewes during the lambing season to identify the relationship between ewes and lambs: for sure, you can't tell them by their colour! The little black sheep like wide open spaces and do not like confined environments, where skin problems easily occur. Nevertheless, for the moment, the flock has to wait for some three months a year in a building protected from the snow. Ákos' ultimate goal is to have the herd live outside all year round. Therefore, the hardiness of the herd is the main selection criterion. While the Rackas are grazed in summer, hay is the only source of feed in winter. An exception is made in the run-up to farrowing, when the ewes are given some cereals.
Photos. End of day atmosphere in the pastures of Alsópetény
Niki and Ákos took advantage of the gentle weather to share a walk with us to meet the little black sheep. At this time of the year, 7 harems made up of a ram and 45 to 50 ewes are spread over different paddocks. Two additional flocks are formed for the yearling male Rackas and the retired ewes. Some paddocks are provided with short grass, some with long grass and some with thick bush. Some paddocks are even loaned by neighbouring residents, who benefit from the natural maintenance of their "green spaces". The ewes give birth to a lamb (sometimes two) at the end of March. While the ewe lambs contribute to the renewal of the flock, the young males are raised until they are two years old! The growth of the young sheep is so slow that they are only slaughtered at this age: we are talking about a meat that has to be deserved! Niki and Ákos slaughtered and sold their first sheep a year ago to local customers and in Budapest. For most customers, there is no need for frills: the vacuum packer can stay in the cupboard, what they are buying is the delicious meat from Racka and the rusticity of the farm, which is reflected in the "home-made" packaging.
Photos. The harems of Rackas are distributed in paddocks that are sometimes bushy (maintenance of the village gardens), sometimes grassy
If one had to sum up Niki and Ákos' concept of life as a herder in one word, it would definitely be "autonomy": a concept that guides the past, present and future of their farm. Ákos, who grew up in Mongolia and did part of his studies there, dreams of his farm becoming a "Little Mongolia", where life and breeding are synonymous with freedom, nature and independence. "There, you raise your animals and in the end, a guy comes to buy them from you. It's no more complicated than that. You have plenty of time to take care of your animals and your own life," says Ákos. If there is one thing the young shepherd couple regrets, it is the bureaucratic red tape that surrounds farming in Europe: "We want to build our own slaughterhouse for our sheep, but the regulations are extremely restrictive. You have to carry out a study, have staff dedicated to slaughtering, etc. We would have to slaughter 2,000 sheep a year to make the investment profitable. Slaughtering on the farm is so administratively complicated, although it is the best option for our sheep," says Ákos. Expanding the flock is not something he wants to do, especially as the Racka does not enjoy living in large flocks. In any case, it takes more than bits of paper to break the ambition of an autonomous and free life as a breeder. Here, we put up with it and go on with our plans for the farm! A few steps from the house, the Hungarian Blue Tour runs alongside the sheep pastures: it is a long-distance path that allows you to walk around the country. So, for the hikers who linger in front of these strange and beautiful creatures with twisted horns, Niki and Ákos wish to set up a reception and information point to introduce the black sheep and their tasty products.
A huge thank you to them for the 8 hours of sharing under the Hungarian sun and for the excellent Pálinka!
Find more informations about them on their Facebook page : Rackavölgy !
Did you know ?
- At the end of collectivism
With the fall of communism and the end of collectivism in the early 1990s, Hungary returned the right of land property to its former pre-war landowners, in the form of a right to purchase land (of equivalent value to the pre-war area owned). Individually, this right offered the possibility to buy back land in Hungary or to obtain its economic value by reselling the right. At that time, land in rural areas was not very attractive and its value was extremely low (in 1992, 1 hectare of land was worth 10,000 forints, i.e. €33!). Some businessmen saw the opportunity to invest in the future and took over the land by raising the price, making it inaccessible to the inhabitants of the small villages. Ákos's father, who lived in Budapest at the time, defended the rights of the inhabitants of Alsópetényi by ingeniously fighting the abusive purchase of land by the wealthy.
At the same time, Ákos' father bought out the rights of his brothers and sisters to acquire the 80 hectares that Niki and Ákos now have for their little black sheep.
- Black and white
The Racka is a member of a large family of Central and Southern European sheep, presumed to have originated in Asia, identifiable by their longitudinally curled horns. Included in this family are the Valaška in Slovakia and the Tsurcana in Romania. There are two types of Racka sheep in Hungary: the black Racka and the white Racka. After the Second World War, there were only 600 Racka sheep left in Hungary and elsewhere. Today, there are 2300 black Rackas and 6000 white Rackas in Hungary.
- Support for endangered breeds
Hungarian and EU support is given to farmers to protect the Racka breed. For one Racka ewe, the EU pays between 52 and 54 euros per year (compared to 30 euros for a standard breed ewe). Without the aid, farmers would probably not be able to breed the Racka.
- Feral sheep
Despite its large and impressive horns, the main survival strategy of the little Racka sheep is to escape from danger. A wild character that the breeders maintain: "We avoid getting the lambs used to humans. When they are docile, they easily move away from the flock to see what is going on elsewhere and it is at these moments that they put themselves in danger from predators," explains Niki. The wildness of the Racka sheep protects them from robbery and stray dog attacks, which are the two biggest dangers in this part of Hungary.
- The donkey and the sheep
In the field in front of Niki and Ákos' house, a donkey and her foal accompany the harem of Racka sheep. The cohabitation of donkey and sheep is an ancient and useful practice: the donkey calms the flock of sheep, it is also an excellent guardian. The donkey will bray and chase away aggressors, so it is used to protect the herd from predators, just like the dog.
- Wolf: a problem to come
Hungary does not provide financial aid for damage caused by wolves to livestock. The national programme focuses on preparing farmers for the presence of the wolf, through close support: training, information and exchange meetings, and the supply of electric fences are among the means made at the disposal of farmers to prepare for possible attacks.
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