Italy's heatwave threatens Parmigiano Reggiano milk supply

Temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius have pushed dairies in Emilia-Romagna to keep barn windows open around the clock, run fans and water-mist systems, and spend more just to keep cows producing milk fit for Parmigiano Reggiano. Nicola Bertinelli, who leads the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium and runs a family dairy founded in 1895 on the outskirts of Parma, put it bluntly: “Extreme heat impacts milk’s quality and quantity.”

In high heat, cows eat less and can produce up to 10% less milk, a hit that matters because genuine Parmigiano Reggiano is made only inside a tightly defined production zone: Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna to the left of the Reno River, and Mantua to the right of the Po River. The cheese is made only in that area from cow breeding through packaging, and the European Union granted it Protected Designation of Origin status on June 21, 1996. The consortium dates to 1934.

Parmigiano Reggiano generates about €4.5 billion in annual revenue, and more than half of sales go to export markets, with the United States among the largest destinations. But those sales depend on a feed chain that begins with local grass and hay. If drought keeps grass from growing, hay production falls too, and the supply chain tightens before the milk even reaches the cheese vats.

Aging warehouses now face higher electricity bills as they hold wheels for at least 12 months and sometimes three years or longer. Across the two Credito Emiliano warehouse facilities, more than 500,000 wheels sit in storage, worth over €300 million. Since 1953, the warehouse system has accepted Parmigiano wheels as security for low-interest farm loans.

The European Commission’s registry lists Parmigiano Reggiano as a PDO, and the producer group entry was updated on December 16, 2024. An amendment to the product specification was approved in 2025.