Angeln Saddleback

The Angeln Saddleback is a rare breed of domestic pig raised mainly in Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. It was developed in the Angeln region, part of Denmark until 1864, by crossing a local black and white German Landrace with the Wessex Saddleback, and it was officially established as a breed in 1937, reaching real market importance by the 1950s. It is a large, lop-eared black pig with a white belt around its body at the forefeet; boars can weigh around 350 kilograms and sows around 300 kilograms. The breed has become nearly extinct as demand shifted away from its fatty meat, though its sows are noted for high fertility and heavy milk production, and it remains well suited to outdoor farming, which may bring it renewed interest as producers move away from intensive systems.