Heat wave slashes milk supply for Italy’s Parmigiano Reggiano, raising industry costs

Temperatures above 40 °C in Emilia‑Romagna have forced dairy cows to eat less, lie down longer and produce up to 10 % less milk. The shortfall threatens production of Parmigiano Reggiano – an 800‑year‑old cheese worth about €4.5 billion annually – because milk is one of only three permitted ingredients.

Farmers have resorted to 24‑hour ventilation, water‑mist cooling and upgraded refrigeration in storage warehouses, pushing daily energy consumption up roughly 30 %. A concurrent drought limits fresh grass and hay, the exclusive feed for the cows, further tightening milk availability. Together, these pressures raise production costs and put the season’s cheese output at risk. "The lack of rain makes it impossible to obtain the necessary milk," warned Nicola Bertinelli, president of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium.