Back from the brink of extinction：In the mid-1980s，reconstruction of the breed began with the last 7 pure-bred sows and one boar. Photo：BESH

Our ancestors domesticated wild animals over many generations，breeding a wide variety of farm animals that were extremely well adapted both to their local environment and to the various uses to which they were put. This is how local livestock breeds came into being with their specific traits. These landraces shaped farming culture over the centuries and left their imprint on the landscape that was their home. Industrial animal husbandry was encouraged by the intensification of agriculture，increasing use of growth promoters，antibiotics and feed concentrates. This was accompanied by the broad-scale use of a few animal breeds that were especially suited to this approach. With regard to pigs，for example，tried-and-proven old landraces were displaced by fastgrowing “highperformance breeds” with low fat content or even died out completely. This meant that their special genetic characteristics were lost for future breeding. A study carried out in the year 2000 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations（FAO）found that about one quarter of the 649 known pig breeds around the world have become extinct. About a third of the 333 pig breeds that had existed in Europe have become extinct，while many others are endangered.