Icelandic goat

{{Short description|Breed of goat}}

{{Infobox goat breed

| name = Icelandic goat

| image = Icelandic goats.jpg

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| image_caption = In Mýrasýsla county

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| country = Iceland

| distribution =

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| use = meat, milk

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| coat = white

| facecolor = white

| horns = horned in both sexes

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The Icelandic goat ({{langx|is|íslenska geitin}} {{IPA|is|ˈistlɛnska ˈceiːtɪn|}}), also known as the 'settlement goat' (Capra hircus), is an ancient breed of domestic goat believed to be of Norwegian origin and dating back to the settlement of Iceland over 1100 years ago.{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/958946719|title=Masons World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding : 2 volume Pack.|last1=Porter|first1=Valerie|last2=Alderson|first2=Lawrence|last3=Hall|first3=Stephen J.G.|last4=Sponenberg|first4=D. Phillip|date=9 March 2016 |isbn=9781845934668|pages=374|oclc=958946719 }} This breed of goat was on the verge of extinction during the late 19th century, but recovered prior to World War II, only to precipitously decline again. The population has dropped below 100 animals several times, leading to genetic bottleneck.{{cite journal |last1=Baldursdottir |first1=B.K. |last2=Kristjansson |first2=T. |last3=Hallsson |first3=J.H. |title=Diversity of the Icelandic goat breed assessed using population data |journal=Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section A |date=June 2012 |volume=62 |issue=2 |pages=53–65 |doi=10.1080/09064702.2012.723737 |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/09064702.2012.723737 |access-date=18 March 2023}} As of 2003, there were 348 goats in 48 flocks distributed throughout most parts of Iceland.{{cite web |url=http://www.isbona.com/vol7no1win03.html |title=The Icelandic Goat Breed, Icelandic Sheep Breeders of North America |publisher=Isbona.com |date=1994-07-08 |access-date=2014-01-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718090102/http://www.isbona.com/vol7no1win03.html |archive-date=2012-07-18 |url-status=dead }} At the end of 2012, the herd had increased to 849.{{cite web|author=Atvinnu- og nýsköpunarráðuneytið |url=https://www.atvinnuvegaraduneyti.is/media/Acrobat/140808-Nidurstodur-starfshops-um-islenska-geitfjarstofninn.pdf |title="Niðurstöður starfshóps um málefni íslenska geitfjárstofnsins" (Conclusions of the Working Group on the Icelandic Goat Breed) |publisher=www.atvinnuvegaraduneyti.is |date=2014 |access-date=2015-11-24|page=2}} Since this breed has been isolated for centuries, the Icelandic populations are highly inbred. The Icelandic goat is very rare outside its native land.{{Cite book|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/36260544|title=Goats of the world|last=Porter, Valerie, 1942-|date=1996|publisher=Farming Press|isbn=0852363478|pages=25–26|oclc=36260544 }} Under its coarse, long guard hair, the Icelandic goat has a coat of high quality cashmere fiber. Icelandic goats are kept mainly as pets and their economic potential for meat, milk, cashmere and skin production remains to be explored. The Icelandic goat is currently of little economic value.

The Icelandic goat is the only farm animal sponsored by the Icelandic government for the purpose of ensuring its survival. In 2014, the annual grant was ISK 4,200 ({{To USD | 4200 | ISL | | year=2014 | round=yes }} US dollars) per goat, for a maximum of 20 goats, down from ISK 6,500 ({{To USD | 6500 | ISL | | year=2014 | round=yes }} US dollars) per goat in 2010, contingent upon the owner submitting a report on each animal.{{Cite web |url=https://secure.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_life/?cat_id=16571&ew_0_a_id=368966 |title=Daily Life - Last Chance to See…; The Icelandic Goat (ESA), Iceland Review Online, 15 October 2010 |access-date=1 August 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121217150520/https://secure.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_life/?cat_id=16571&ew_0_a_id=368966 |archive-date=17 December 2012 |url-status=dead }} Farmer Jóhanna Bergmann Þorvaldsdóttir has been breeding the Icelandic goat, hoping to prevent extinction.{{cite news|last1=Dunsmith|first1=Gabriel|title=Outside Of Reykjavík: Mountains, Sagas And... Goats|url=https://grapevine.is/travel/2017/05/04/outside-of-reykjavik-mountains-sagas-and-goats/|access-date=3 November 2017|work=The Reykjavík Grapevine|date=5 April 2017}}