{"id":4966,"date":"2026-08-13T11:04:35","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T11:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/13\/climate-change-is-threatening-italys-cheese-economy\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T11:04:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T11:04:36","slug":"climate-change-is-threatening-italys-cheese-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/13\/climate-change-is-threatening-italys-cheese-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate change is threatening Italy's cheese economy"},"content":{"rendered":"

2026-08-13 11:04:34<\/b>
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Italy\u2019s beloved Parmigiano Reggiano is facing an unexpected climate problem: keeping cheese cool.

\nExtreme summer heat is pushing up energy costs at the climate-controlled warehouses where hundreds of thousands of wheels are stored as collateral for loans to dairy farmers.

\nCredito Emiliano, known as Credem, has accepted young Parmigiano Reggiano wheels as collateral since 1953.

\nIts subsidiary, Magazzini Generali delle Tagliate, matures the cheese in Reggio Emilia and Modena, holding more than half a million wheels worth well over \u20ac300 million.

\nProducers can receive 60 to 80 per cent of a wheel\u2019s value upfront, allowing small dairies to access cash while their cheese ages for at least 12 months and often up to three years.

\nBut extreme heat is making that system increasingly expensive.

\nDaily electricity consumption at the vaults rose by roughly 30 per cent during the peak of this summer\u2019s heat, forcing upgrades to cooling systems and boilers, more insulation and increased renewable power generation.

\nThe problem begins much earlier, however, in the cowsheds.

\nWhen temperatures climb above 40C, cows eat less and spend more time lying down, reducing milk yields by as much as 10 per cent.

\n\u201cExtreme heat impacts milk’s quality and quantity,\u201d said Nicola Bertinelli, president of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium.

\nThe cheese can only be produced in five provinces, using milk from cows fed on grass and hay grown locally. That leaves producers particularly exposed to drought and extreme weather damaging animal feed.

\nItaly produced 4.19 million wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano in 2025, generating consumer turnover of around \u20ac4 billion.

\nEconomists say the financial impact of heat can take time to emerge, travelling down the supply chain from farms to manufacturers and lenders.

\nR. Jisung Park, a labour economist at the Wharton School, said heat upstream produces \u201cmeasurable downstream firm valuation impacts\u201d.

\nWith wheels potentially spending three years in storage, every scorching summer can add costs long before the cheese reaches consumers.
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