American Berkshire
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| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Use | meat |
| Traits | |
| Weight | |
| Skin colour | black |
| Hair | black |
| |
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The American Berkshire is an American breed of domestic pig. It derives from the Berkshire of the United Kingdom – which originated in the English county of the same name – but has evolved differently. It is normally black, with some white markings on the snout, on the lower legs, and on the tip of the tail.[4]
The original Berkshire of the United Kingdom is a rare breed; the American breed is not endangered, and is not included in the Conservation Priority List of the Livestock Conservancy.[5]
History
The Berkshire is a traditional breed of the English county of the same name. Until the eighteenth century it was a large tawny-coloured pig with lop ears, often with darker patches.[6]: 551 [7] In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries it was substantially modified by cross-breeding with small black pigs imported from Asia.[6]: 558
Exports to the United States began in about 1823.[8]: 187 A breed society, the American Berkshire Association, was established in 1875 and is believed to have been the first such society for a pig breed.[6]: 551 [9]: 230 The first pig to be registered was a boar named Ace of Spades, who had been bred on an estate belonging to Queen Victoria.[6]: 537 [10]
For much of the nineteenth century and most of the first half of the twentieth, the Berkshire was one of the three breeds principally used in cross-breeding for stock improvement; the others were the Big Poland and the Irish Grazier.[11] After the Second World War pig-farming was gradually industrialized and focused only on cross-breeding of three breeds, the Duroc, the Hampshire and the American Yorkshire; the importance of the other principal commercial breeds – including the Berkshire – decreased, and so did breed numbers.[11] In the twenty-first century the Berkshire is not an endangered breed: it was listed as 'not at risk' by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2007 and again in DAD-IS in 2026; in that year it was not included in the Conservation Priority List of the Livestock Conservancy.[5]
Characteristics
The American Berkshire is black with white markings in six points: four white socks, a white splash on the snout, and a white tip to the tail.[12] It is prick-eared[12] and has an up-turned snout.[8]: 187
Use
The pigs are reared for pork. Although the meat has a relatively low pH, and high pH is normally correlated with consumer satisfaction, Berkshire pork was highly rated in taste tests in the United States.[13]
References
- ↑ Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
- ↑ Breed Data Sheet: Berkshire / United States of America (Pig). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2026.
- 1 2 Berkshire. Kenilworth, Warwickshire: Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Archived 23 September 2020.
- ↑ ABA Constitution and By-Laws: Berkshire Markings and Identification Requirements. Winamac, Indiana: American Berkshire Association. Archived 28 May 2019.
- 1 2 Conservation Priority List. Pittsboro, North Carolina: The Livestock Conservancy. Archived 15 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
- ↑ Berkshire. Manaia: New Zealand Pig Breeders Association. ARCHIVED 6 March 2023.
- 1 2 Janet Vorwald Dohner (2001). The Encyclopedia of Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds. New Haven, Connecticut; London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300088809.
- ↑ Valerie Porter, Ian Lauder Mason (2020). Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties (sixth edition). Wallingford; Boston: CABI. ISBN 9781789241532.
- ↑ History. West Lafayette, Indiana: American Berkshire Association. Archived 28 May 2019.
- 1 2 History of Heritage Pigs. Pittsboro, North Carolina: The Livestock Conservancy. Archived 15 May 2026.
- 1 2 The Berkshire. The British Pig Association. Archived 12 June 2006.
- ↑ Larry McMullen (2006). Sensory Preferences of Consumers for High pH, Low pH Commodity Pork Loins and Berkshire Pork Loins – A.S. Leaflet R2056. Iowa State University Animal Industry Report. 3 (1). doi:10.31274/ans_air-180814-986.