Alpalca Farming

ALPALCA FARMING

The alpaca dates back to around 5,000 years ago. It is descended from the Camelidae (camel) family and is 'cousin' to the llama In stature, though, the alpaca is considerably smaller than the llama..

It lives on the high slopes of the Andes.

Alpacas together with llamas served the needs of the local people. They were first used as producers of wool and later (secondly) exploited as carriers.

At the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru they were almost extinct; and in the middle of the 1800s they were rediscovered thanks to the quality of their wool.

Given the particular climatic environment and the scarce existence of pastures, alpaca breeding has never fulfilled the high demand for its prestigious wool on the world market.

The large alpaca farms are in South America: Peru, Bolivia and Chile.

In the 1980's the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand began to export alpacas to produce and improve their own wool.

There is a notable increase in the development of farms which confirm the continuing high demand for the fibre.

The market has also moved to Switzerland, England and Germany.

And now it is Italy's turn for the breeding of alpacas.

REASONS FOR FARMING

The alpaca is a ruminant (chewer) with three stomachs which transform grass and hay into energy.

About 1 kg of hay is enough for its daily needs.

It needs little water a day thanks to its camel origins.

Generally it does not ruin trees or shrubs because it prefers soft grass which it eats without pulling out the roots (the result being that after grazing you have a pasture looking not unlike a classically mowed English lawn!).

It has