Sheep and goat production falls, prices rise in Italy

The turnover of the dairy sheep and goat breeding grows and production decreases. Based on Ismea data, in 2021 it generated a value of 572 million euros in Italy, with an increase of 12% compared to the previous year, exclusively linked to the strong push in prices at origin. Production was down: with 450 thousand tons, sheep's milk lost 0.7% and with 43 thousand tons, goat's milk left 1.8% on the ground compared to 2020. The decline in production observed in Spain, which is the main competitor of Italian products, is even greater: in 2021 the decline in both sheep's milk and sheep's milk cheeses was 12% and 6% respectively. However, Italy remains the third largest producer of sheep's milk in the EU, with a share equal to over a fifth of the EU total, and the leading producer of sheep's milk cheeses, with a share of about one third of the total. The wholesale prices of Pecorino Romano - which is the leading product of the market - are growing progressively, especially since last ...