The third heat wave of this summer is hitting Italy with peak temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, and it is reaching even the core regions of Italian Parmesanproduction. In Emilia-Romagna, producers of Parmigiano Reggiano, the official name for the protected-designation-of-origin version of Parmesan, are growing concerned about the upcoming harvest and milk quality, as extreme temperatures directly affect the very foundation of cheesemaking. A sector that generates 4.5 billion euros in annual revenue and employs thousands of people is now confronting a structural challenge that extends well beyond a single hot summer.
When Cows Produce Less Milk
The heart of the problem lies in how dairy cows behave during extreme heat. Once temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius, the animals spend more time lying down, eat less, and according to the consortium produce up to ten percent less milk. For a cheese made from nothing but this one ingredient, along with salt and rennet, that has a direct impact on both quantity and quality.
Nicola Bertinelli, president of the Consorzio del Parmigiano Reggiano and himself the operator of a family farm near Parma founded in 1895, describes in a report by Reggio Report a direct link between extreme heat and the behavior of the animals. The consequences affect not only individual farms but the entire production chain, all the way through to aging, which for authentic Parmesan takes a minimum of twelve months.
Why the Disciplinare Amplifies the Crisis
Parmigiano Reggiano carries a protected designation of origin tied to strict regulations. It may only be produced in five provinces of Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy, and the dairy cows must be fed exclusively with grass and hay from the region . When rainfall is scarce, insufficient fodder grows, and farmers cannot simply switch to imported alternatives.
Bertinelli points to the straightforward logic of the chain: no rain means no grass, no grass means no hay, no hay means insufficient milk in the necessary quantity and quality. The farmers' association CIA Reggio Emilia also warns that corn, sorghum, and tomatoes are suffering under the current drought, while permanent grassland areas are already showing signs of drought stress and the supply of fodder for the coming months is at risk. Association president Valeria Villani, in a piece published by Greenreport , frames the situation as an expression of a new normal in which extreme weather events are becoming the rule and agriculture faces particular pressure.
Rising Costs in Barns and Storage Facilities
To protect their herds, many operations have invested in fans and misting systems . These installations keep the barns livable and milk output stable, but they drive up energy costs noticeably. An additional burden comes from the air-conditioned warehouses where the cheese wheels age and which are increasingly requiring more cooling capacity.
As Il Messaggero reports, citing industry sources, the warehouse company Magazzini Generali delle Tagliate alone recorded an energy consumption increase of roughly 30 percent during peak heat. In its two facilities, more than 500,000 cheese wheels valued at approximately 300 million euros are aging, each one acoustically tapped by specialists with small hammers to detect any flaws in the ripening process. Rising electricity prices are thus reshaping the economics of a craft that has depended on consistent conditions for centuries.
Parmesan as a Symbol of Italian Industry
The sector is anything but a niche economically. Parmesan generates approximately 4.5 billion euros in annual revenue according to the consortium, with more than half coming from exports. The United States is the largest foreign market, followed by several European countries, including Germany. Anyone involved in Italian agriculture and food production watches the region around Parma, Reggio Emilia, and Modena with particular attention.
Paolo Ganzerli, international sales director of the food group GranTerre, warns in a report distributed by Internazionale of the long-term consequences: if extreme weather events become longer and more intense, that will affect the quantity and quality of milk, but above all the costs. Ganzerli notes that Parmesan has existed for more than 800 years and articulates the industry's determination not to be the last generation to produce it. For a region like the Pianura Padana, where reports suggest roughly one-third of Italian food exports originate, far more than a single product is at stake.
A Cheese Between Tradition and Climate Change
The latest reports from Emilia-Romagna illustrate how closely traditional foods are tied to climatic conditions . An artisanal product whose production specifications are defined down to the last detail has little room to adapt to changing conditions without losing its character. Parmesan is just one of more than 400 cheeses that Italy produces: those looking to explore the full range from north to south will find the broader context, from Gorgonzola to Pecorino to Mozzarella di Bufala, in our overview of cheese in Italy .
