Icelandic cattle

Cattle were first brought to the island during the Settlement of Iceland a thousand years ago.

[1] Icelandic cows are an especially colorful breed with a wide variety of colours and markings.

[3] No cattle are permitted to be imported into Iceland, so they have been protected by strict disease-prevention measures.

They are grazed outside in the summer, and to prolong the growing season, cabbage, turnips, barley, and oats are grown for forage.

[1] Fewer than 30,000 cows are on the island and their milk is used to create a mild, butter-flavoured cheese.