Maltese cattle

Maltese

Adult Maltese bull in southern region of Malta
Conservation status	FAO (2000): critical DAD-IS (2025): critical/at risk
Nicknames	Baqar ta' Malta
Country of origin	Maltese Islands
Distribution	Malta (restricted to three farms)
Use	draught
Traits
Weight	Male: 800 kg (1,764 lb) Female: 700 kg (1,543 lb)
Height	Male: 180 cm (70.87 in) Female: 170 cm (66.93 in)
Coat	light-brown reddish blue-brown
Horn status	horned in both sexes
Notes
The surviving population descends from a conservation breeding programme involving Chianina cattle
Cattle Bos (primigenius) taurus

The Maltese (Maltese: Baqar ta' Malta), is a traditional cattle population associated with the Maltese Islands. Historically kept mainly for agricultural draught work, their numbers declined during the twentieth-century as farming became increasingly mechanised. A breeding programme was established in the 1990s using the remaining animals and semen from the Chianina breed.

History

Cattle have been used for agricultural work in Malta for centuries. The traditional Maltese population was kept primarily for ploughing and other draught activities rather than specialised milk or meat production.

The introduction of agricultural machinery during the twentieth century reduced the demand for working cattle. According to a 2010 report in the Times of Malta, only three indigenous female cattle remained in the early 1990s. These animals were maintained by farmer Paul Saliba, whose herd became the basis of a breeding programme.

The programme involved the use of semen from the Chianina breed, which shares some physical characteristics with Maltese cattle. In 2006, Times of Malta reported the death of the last surviving cow described as pure Maltese. A small population descended from the breeding programme remained.

Characteristics

Historical descriptions portray Maltese cattle as large, relatively lean animals with a robust build. Recorded coat colours included reddish-brown and other shades of brown. A description dating from 1915, cited in subsequent research, gave an average height of approximately 170cm at the withers.

The cattle were traditionally valued for their ability to perform agricultural work, particularly ploughing. They were not primarily developed for specialised dairy or beef production.

Conservation and genetic research

Malta's Rural Development Programme for 2007-2013 identified the Maltese cattle as a critically endangered indigenous livestock breed and included measures intended to support the conservation of animal genetic resources.

The FAO listed the Maltese cattle population as critical in its 2000 World Watch List for Domestic Animal Diversity. The entry recorded 11 females and 2 males in 1999.

A study published in Animal Genetics in 2016 examined genetic markers in the surviving Maltese cattle population. The researchers identified a significant founder effect but found no genetic evidence supporting independent cattle domestication in Malta. The study recorded 31 adult animals in two herds.

A further genomic study presented at the 2025 congress of the Associazione per la Scienza e le Produzioni Animali reported high levels of inbreeding and low estimated effective population size. The researchers also identified genetic similarities with Italian cattle breeds of Podolian origin andn highlighted the need to preserve the remaining genetic diversity.

References