Over the past two weeks, we have told you about the Sopravissana breed and the journey of its wool, from our farm in Lazio to Lanaioli garments. Today we want to take a step back and address a bigger question: why should a knitwear company concern itself with saving a sheep breed from extinction? And above all, what does “protecting biodiversity” really mean when we are talking about farm animals, beyond the slogan?
A collapse with few equals
The numbers tell a clear story about the Sopravissana. In the 1970s, the breed numbered approximately 765,000-785,000 animals, spread across Marche, Umbria, Lazio, Tuscany, Abruzzo, and Molise: it was one of the most numerous sheep breeds in central Italy. By 1995, the number of animals registered in the herd book had fallen to approximately 6,000. As of December 31, 2021, official registry data listed just 53 farms, 355 rams, and 5,498 ewes: approximately 5,850 registered animals, rising to just over 7,000 when unregistered animals present on the same farms are also taken into account. In less than sixty years, the population has declined by more than 99%. It is no surprise that the breed is now classified as being at “potential risk of genetic erosion.”
The reasons are no mystery: competition from foreign wools, especially Australian and New Zealand wool, made Italian wool increasingly unprofitable, while farmers were encouraged to focus on meat and milk, which offered higher returns. A triple-purpose breed like the Sopravissana, which excelled precisely at balancing wool, meat, and milk, ultimately did not excel enough in any one of the three to withstand the modern market.
Why livestock biodiversity matters
When people talk about biodiversity, they almost always think of wild species, forests, and coral reefs. They rarely think of domestic animal breeds, yet every native breed that disappears takes with it a genetic heritage that has adapted over centuries to a specific region: resistance to particular diseases, the ability to make use of poor pastures, and unique fiber or meat characteristics. Once lost, this combination cannot be reconstructed on a drawing board. It is not so different from the reasoning applied to ancient varieties of wheat or apples: industrial standardization gains immediate efficiency, but loses future resilience.
Grazing does not automatically mean animal welfare
A common misconception is that extensive, pasture-based farming automatically means better animal welfare than intensive farming. Things are more complex. Studies on the welfare of sheep and goats in extensive farming systems confirm that grazing offers real benefits: freedom of movement, natural behaviors, and lower stocking densities. But they also point to concrete issues that are often overlooked: a survey of 190 farms in the Grosseto area found inadequate access to water in 85% of small farms (and 55% of larger ones), along with insufficient protection from the sun in 75% of medium-sized and large farms. Added to this is predation-related stress, which can compromise the welfare of the entire flock through fear alone, not only through direct attacks. Assuming that “outdoors” always means “better” is therefore an oversimplification that experts in the field themselves urge us to move beyond: real welfare is measured through concrete indicators observed in the animal, not through the image of pasture.
Our small part
Our own farm in Lazio will not save the Sopravissana on its own, which is why we consider ourselves part of a broader community of farmers who have chosen to continue breeding it, together with the organizations that have been working for years to restore the breed throughout its historic range. But we believe that every ball of Sopravissana wool purchased consciously, rather than dismissed as “waste” to be disposed of, is a small vote in favor of this breed’s survival. Ultimately, it is no different from the principle that guides everything we do: buy less, choose better, and always know where what you wear comes from.
