By remaining faithful to centuries-old traditions of production, Parmesan cheese is giving endangered birds a new lease on life, according to a study by an Italian environmental group.
LIPU, the Italian Bird Protection League, surveyed the northern Italian regions where Parmesan is the main type of cheese produced, and found that there are more rare species like lapwings and duck-hawks near cow pastures than in neighbouring corn or tomato fields.
Many of the pastures have remained untouched for over 100 years, in line with Parmesan producers' policy of keeping their cows out in the open air. Intensive crop farming, on the other hand, deprives birds of cover for nesting, and poison the ground containing the insects they need to survive.
The study found that lapwings thrive near the cow pastures in the area around Parma (in Lombardy) and in the Emilia-Romagna region, the homeland of Parmesan cheese.
The birds, a common species until recently, are now classified as threatened species by the the World Wide Fund for Nature and Birdlife International.
Along with the house sparrow, the snipe and the starling, these graceful birds, with black and white feathers, are now considered "birds of European concern."
Their dwindling numbers are thought to be, in large part, caused by intensive agricultural practices.
The Italian environmental organisation's one-year research project focused on a handful of different habitats in the areas where Parmesan is made.
In the wintertime, specialists walked back roads with a pair of binoculars, trying to spot as many birds as they could.
They kept notes of what they saw, and where. In the summer, the researchers were scouring the country at the crack of dawn to identify the birds welcoming the day.
They found that all birds find more to eat near cow pastures.
"Giving our cows good food means that our birds have a chance to lick their beaks too," said Igino Morini, a member of the Parmesan cheese farmers' consortium, which provided about 25% of the funds necessary to carry out the study.
The remaining funds came from regional and municipal governments keen on highlighting a potential link between local products and eco-friendly strategies.
The restrictions on what makes Parmesan cheese Parmesan cheese led researchers to conclude that it's mainly thanks to Parmesan that these birds are still twittering in these areas.
Members of the Parmesan consortium, which represents over 4,000 farmers producing the cheese, must demonstrate that at least 75% of the hay they feed their cows is grown locally.
The hay cannot contain additives or artificial colouring, and must have been harvested from alfalfa fields, or from unsown pastures.
Only farmers who feed their cows local hay can apply the EU s Protect Designation of Origin (PDO) status.
Local farmers have been producing a variety of Parmesan cheese since the 13th century, and many of the region's unsown pastures have not be ploughed for decades, perhaps even centuries.
"We are distributing this study to local governments and agriculture trade unions so that everyone can understand that making smart decisions about cheese goes hand-in-hand with protecting the environment," said Patrizia Rossi, project manager for the environmental organisation's Parmesan research project.
