Italy: Animal Cruelty in Mozzarella Production
Around 30 days after birth, the calves are old enough to be transported to the slaughterhouse. In 2017 alone, over 52,000 buffalo calves were legally killed in Italy. The meat is mostly processed into dog food.
The global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS is once again drawing attention to the devastating animal welfare deficiencies that still prevail on many buffalo farms in Italy.
New footage passed to the organisation shows emaciated and sick animals in filthy stalls.
These conditions paint a far-from-luxurious picture of the world's favourite premium cheese, “Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP”, or buffalo mozzarella for short. As part of a recent survey, FOUR PAWS assessed the measures taken by 13 retailers in German-speaking countries to improve animal welfare in buffalo farming. In Switzerland, Migros, Aldi and Lidl demonstrated the greatest efforts for the wellbeing of water buffalo.
Since FOUR PAWS began its work on buffalo mozzarella in 2014, there have been some positive changes, such as farms that now voluntarily strive for better husbandry conditions, and retailers that place new animal welfare requirements on their suppliers. However, a grim picture still emerges on many Italian buffalo farms: the animals are kept in small, filthy stalls with no daylight or green pastures. Water buffalo are often denied access to water or mud in which they can bathe and cool down in accordance with their natural needs. Some of the animals were severely malnourished. “The conditions on the farms are shocking. For things to change, we depend on the support of retailers, traders and producers, who should only offer this premium product from premium farming conditions. The industry must build on the first important steps towards improvement in water buffalo husbandry in order to ensure long-term change. We therefore call for regular and mandatory animal welfare inspections”, says Nina Jamal, Head of Farm Animal Campaigns at FOUR PAWS.
Retailer Survey Shows Progress
Spar in Austria, Aldi Süd & Nord in Germany, and Migros in Switzerland work with progressive buffalo mozzarella suppliers who commit themselves to a range of important animal welfare standards and carry out inspections several times a year. In addition to Migros, Aldi and Lidl Switzerland have also been able to achieve high scores through recent efforts. The following core criteria were taken into account in the scoring: traceability, frequency of inspections, scope of animal welfare requirements, and consideration of animal welfare requirements for own-brand and third-party products. “Regardless of this, on-the-ground conditions frequently still show that buffalo farming falls far short of a premium standard. The animals need adequate cooling facilities to regulate their body temperature, and hoof care must not be neglected,” said Jamal. FOUR PAWS calls on retailers and traders to make greater use of their market power: they should demand compliance with binding animal welfare criteria as well as independent inspections on livestock farms, and should also carry out their own inspections.
Male calves as an inconvenient by-product
As early as August 2018, an investigation also carried out in Italy by FOUR PAWS highlighted the suffering of male buffalo calves. Regarded as a worthless by-product, the young animals are often deliberately neglected. If they do not die as a result of poor husbandry conditions, they are slaughtered on average 30 days after birth. However, the situation of male calves is slowly improving: farmers now receive a small bonus, in accordance with a government regulation, if they bring the calf to the slaughterhouse properly. In addition, a new checklist from the Italian government ensures that the specific animal welfare criteria for water buffalo are taken into account during inspections.
The business of buffalo milk
Campania is Italy's most productive region, accounting for 90 percent of buffalo milk production. 74 percent of the approximately 400’000 water buffalo living in Italy are raised in Campania. In total, there are more than 2’200 buffalo farms across the country. The vast majority of these — 77 percent — are purely milk producers, 14 percent are purely meat producers, and only nine percent use the animals for both milk and meat production. Buffalo mozzarella from Campania carries the DOP label (Denominazione di Origine Protetta, protected designation of origin) and is the flagship export product of central and southern Italy. The main buyers of this luxury cheese are France, Germany, Great Britain, the USA, Switzerland, and Spain.
