State of emergency in Italy: drought threatens farmers - parmesan in danger

Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years.

The water shortage is worrying farmers and will soon affect the production of popular Po Valley food.

ROME - The Italian government has now declared a state of emergency for the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto due to the ongoing drought.

Although, according to the AFP news agency, 36.5 million euros are being made available to the affected regions to fight water shortages, farmers fear for their livestock.

Drought in Italy: water shortage threatens agriculture - "We see black"

While part of Lake Garda is already being pumped out due to the lack of water, the drought in the agriculturally important Po Valley in northern Italy is presenting farmers with major problems.

According to Coldiretti, the country's largest farmers' association, the drought is threatening more than 30 percent of the country's agricultural production and half of the livestock in the Po Valley.

"I'm never normally a pessimist or a pessimist, but now we're seeing pessimism," Massimiliano Fazzini, head of the Italian Society of Environmental Geology's (SIGEA) climate risk department, told CNN.

"The situation is critical and can only get worse."

“Extreme Crisis”: Parmesan production under threat – drought is a major concern for farmers

The drought is causing problems in two ways.

The lack of rain, snow and sunshine provoked maximum disaster, according to Parmegiano Reggiano's Ada Giorgi on CNN.

The current "extreme crisis" is "much, much worse" than the situation in 2003, when the Po was last low.

There is not only a lack of water in the fields, but also in the cattle's drinking basins.

As dairy farmer Simone Minelli points out in the TV report, between 100 and 150 liters of water per day and cow are needed so that the milk can be processed into high-quality Parmesan.

However, if there is neither water nor fodder coming from the fields, things look bleak for his 300-strong herd, which then has to be “reduced”.

With insufficient hydration, the livestock are not suitable for the production of the popular Italian specialty - in this respect, the "real" Parmesan with the DOP seal could soon become scarce.

(askl)

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