Because Italy is one of the European countries most affected by African swine fever (PSA)? And do the responsible supervisory bodies verify that all safety criteria are respected? What is the state of Italian farms and the animals found there?
Spoiler: the picture is very depressing and, alas, we already know it quite well. Yet, paradoxically, it never ceases to amaze us (negatively) if the awareness of the lack of certain controls is added to scenes of absolute suffering.
ASF is a highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic pigs and wild boars, with high mortality. In Italy, the epidemic has had a significant impact especially in northern regions such as Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. According to recent data, over 50 thousand pigs have been culled to contain the spread of the virus, with serious repercussions on the national pig industry.
The crux of the Parma Ham PDO specification
The PDO Parma Ham specification establishes stringent requirements to guarantee the quality and authenticity of the product. Among the main specifications, there are:
Everything is fine and everything is in order, then? Not exactly.
The new investigation by Report which aired on 17 November explained how, despite the fact that the 50% is included in the specifications for Prosciutto di Parma PDO, it is clearly written that at least half of feed for livestock must come from the territoryit seems that the control body Csqawhich has already received suspensions in the past, is based solely and exclusively on self-certifications without going to check in the field.
The Csqa, in essence, would have been based mainly on the self-certifications provided by the farmers regarding the origin of the feed, without almost ever carrying out the necessary checks in the field. And not only that, Report goes deeper: in a recorded conversation, the general director of CSQA, Maria Chiara Ferrarese, would have admitted the omission of checks on pig feeding, in agreement with the trade association, without informing the competent Ministry.
A series of practices, therefore, which only raise doubts about the transparency and effectiveness of the certification system, putting the credibility of the PDO brand at risk. And all this, then, in a context of profound suffering for animals.
View this post on Instagram
The conditions of the pigs
Almost 10 million pigs are born and raised in Italy every year to be violently killed or with “eradication” measures due to disease. Due to ASF, more than 115 thousand pigs have been killed even if healthy, because they were potentially exposed to the virus which has affected pig farms in Italy since summer 2023, especially in Lombardy and Pavese.
These are the numbers discussed in Giulia Innocenzi’s investigation which aired last night on Report with images created exclusively by the investigative team of Food for Profit And LCA (Last Chance for Animals).
Animals in perpetual conditions of suffering, victims of real mistreatment and made an integral part of the production model, only thanks to public money lavishly paid both through the CAP, the common agricultural policy, as the documentary explains well Food for Profitand through the compensation given in response to the African Swine Fever crisis.
The images transmitted provide a raw and real portrait of what is obtusely and instrumentally defined as a sector of Made in Italy excellence, namely that of pig production, therefore linked to ham. A sector in which cruelty and waste of resources go hand in hand, write from LAV.
There is now a lot of evidence collected in pig farms across half of Italy that shows the suffering of those animals. That documentary by Giulia Innocenzi and Pablo d’Ambrosi has indeed removed the veil from that infinite drama, but also brought more light on the whole more complex dynamics of the balance of power with European funds, highlighting how the big lobbies are still capable of exercising a large and serious influence on political decisions to the detriment of transparency and public interests.
