Why Italy?

Italy is a country rich in agricultural history and is one of the largest agricultural producers and food processors in the European Union. Its diversified economy is divided into a developed industrial north and a less-developed agricultural south. Much of the country’s’ mountainous terrain is unsuitable for farming and approximately 4% of the population is employed in farming (1). The majority of animal production is located in the Northern regions of the country.

• In 2015, there were 8.3 million pigs in Italy. (2)
• Proscuitti is a type of traditional pork product with thousands of years of history in Italy.
• The average pig farm houses 365 pigs
• Approximately 70% of swine production is located in the northern region of Lombardia region counts for about 1/3 of the entire national swine population. (3)

• Italy is one of the top 5 largest boiler producers in the European Union. (4)
• Poultry is the only category of meat for which Italy is self-sufficient. (3)
• Main production is in broilers and turkeys. Most farms raising broilers and turkeys are located in the northern regions of Italy (Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia, and Piemonte). (5)
• The majority of the Italian poultry industry is vertically integrated

• Italy is a key player in the world dairy industry and dairy is first in the Italian food division.
• In 2016, there were 2,060,000 dairy cows in Italy. (6)
• Dairy production is located primarily in the Nothern regions of Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna, and Veneto e Piedmonte.  75% of the country’s milk is produced here.
• Italians have a strong tradition in cheese making with mozzarella, grana padano and parmigiana reggiano being the most produced Italian cheese.