An appeal to the Region for a new battle with the Ministry of Agriculture (and also with the consortium). And shepherds are ready for new battles. The production regulations for Pecorino Romano are still at stake.

The farmers insist: for true PDO, the cattle must be Sardinian and from the island's historic breeds. And they must not be imported from other regions: "exotic" breeds, they say, risk distorting the product's character.

The latest in a long-running story : on October 25th, the revised specification was published in the Official Journal. The shepherds had requested the inclusion of some clarifications linking Pecorino production to the historic breeds. But the consortium forged ahead, ignoring the proposals of the milk producers and pushing forward with a change that had already been rejected by a majority.

"We cannot accept the fact that the amendment to Article 5 has been passed off as irrelevant," explain Gianuario Falchi, Nenneddu Sanna, Mario Carai, and Fabio Pisu. "The amendment concerns the addition of native breeds, which are traditionally raised on pasture in the production areas recognized by the regulations. Therefore, the milk used to produce the Pecorino Romano Designation of Origin must necessarily come not only from the historic production areas but also from the historic breeds that have always been raised in those areas (Sarda and the Nera di Arbus breed in Sardinia, Vissana, Soppravissana, Massese, and Amiatina, as well as the Sarda in Lazio and the province of Grosseto). This effectively prohibits the use of milk from stable farms based on improved foreign breeds in the areas of origin. These breeds, despite being physically located in the areas of origin, effectively distort the traditional breeding system that underpins the Pecorino Romano Designation of Origin."

Without this change, the shepherds explain, the door will be opened to exotic breeds. There's still little time to fight: an appeal can be filed until November 24th. "It was decided in Rome," the shepherds explain, "that the history and millennia-old traditions of Sardinian shepherds can be sacrificed for the business of a few wealthy private entrepreneurs. We appeal to the Region, which previously expressed its support for the introduction of historic breeds into the regulations , to make its voice heard by the Ministry of Agriculture , which is now turning its back on an entire region, which recognizes its traditions and its most important economic sector."

(Unioneonline)

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