The ugly cow conundrum : both sides buttered
There is only one dairy breed on the island of Iceland, the Icelandic cow. She is relatively small, compact and, much like the life based on her, not always pretty, but she does have a certain toughness. She is exotic in colour, with six principle shades and patterns, including brindle, pied and dappled. The breed is only found on the island, descending from the original Scandinavian ancestors thousands of years ago. Since it has evolved in such genetic isolation, it is extremely vulnerable to non-native diseases. Introducing a new breed would involve it being quarantined and mixed with local semen for at least five generations before the offspring could be released.