Gado franqueiro, a symbol of Gaúcho, faces the risk of disappearing

Symbol of Gaucho culture and genetic heritage of Rio Grande do Sul, the Franqueiro cattle, fundamental in the formation of the Campos de Cima da Serra, today resists at risk, with few specimens still present in São José dos Ausentes and São Francisco de Paula. The president of the Associação Brasileira de Criadores de Bovinos Franqueiros (ABCBF), Sebastião Fonseca de Oliveira, is one of the breeders of the breed, with about 30 animals on his property. According to Oliveira, there is a traditional knowledge about the Franqueiro cattle, transmitted by drovers and the old residents of the region, and this knowledge is being lost due to the absence of records about the breed. According to him, other breeds that arrived later replaced this creation. “But the Franqueiro cattle has a greater historical value, and it is equal to the others in production. With the milk, in the past, they made serrano cheese and curd, for example,” he explains. On Monday (1st), Oliveira received from the ...