Italy heat wave threatens Parmesan: milk output down 10%, energy costs up 30% in storage
Northern Italy’s record heat is squeezing Parmigiano Reggiano production: cows give up to 10% less milk and storerooms consume 30% more energy to cool half a million cheese wheels worth over 300 million euros.
Soaring temperatures in Emilia-Romagna
Temperatures above 40°C have become common in the five Parmesan-producing provinces of northern Italy this summer. Farmers report that cows are eating less, resting more and producing up to 10% less milk when thermometers cross that threshold. The region has experienced a series of heat waves, and barn windows once opened only at night now stay open around the clock. Ventilators and water-misting systems have been installed in many stables to reduce heat stress on the animals.
Milk quantity and feed under threat
Parmigiano Reggiano is made from only three ingredients: milk, salt and rennet. Dairy output declines as temperatures rise, and the problem is compounded by drought. The cheese’s Protected Designation of Origin rules require cattle to eat only locally grown grass and hay, so a lack of rain directly reduces the feed supply.
Extreme heat affects both the quality and quantity of milk.
Bertinelli, president of the Parmigiano Reggiano consortium and owner of a farm his family founded in 1895 near Parma, explained that when cows lie down more and eat less, the milk used for the cheese – produced exclusively in this area – becomes harder to obtain.
Energy bills climb in cheese warehouses
The ageing process depends on climate-controlled storage. The two facilities run by Magazzini Generali delle Tagliate in the provinces of Reggio Emilia and Modena hold more than 500,000 wheels of cheese with a combined value exceeding 300 million euros.
During the hottest periods of this year, our daily energy consumption rose by about 30 percent.
Ravanetti, the company’s head, said improvements to cooling systems, building insulation and renewable energy generation have been carried out to contain costs.
A 4.5-billion-euro industry at risk
The Parmigiano Reggiano sector generates an estimated 4.5 billion euros in annual revenue and supports thousands of jobs across the supply chain. Exports account for more than half of global sales of this cheese type, with the United States as the main foreign market. Germany in 2025 imported cheese products from Italy worth approximately 913 million euros, with the imported quantity rising almost 14% to 11,640 tonnes.
- Milk production decline
- 10 %
- Energy consumption rise
- 30 %
‘We don’t want to be the last generation’
The cheese has been produced for more than 800 years. Paolo Ganzerli, international sales director of the GranTerre food group, voiced a deep fear in a Reuters report.
We do not want to be the last generation to eat it.
Farmers and producers are investing in cooling systems, but the combination of heat stress on livestock, higher energy bills and drought is straining the entire production chain. Bertinelli warned that if extreme events persist and intensify, “it will certainly have an impact on both the quantity and quality of milk, and above all will lead to higher costs.”
