An infectious disease, and dumping of toxic waste, has led to a crisis in the traditional mozzarella cheese industry in Italy.
Buffalo Mozzarella
They say that it’s the finest mozzarella of all – but it looks as if it will be off the menu for a while. Mozzarella di bufala, which is mozzarella made from buffalo milk, is undergoing something of a crisis. Sales have dropped by around 40%.
Brucellosis
The reason is brucellosis, an infectious disease, which is spreading rapidly through the large water buffalo herds of Campania, near Naples – where mozzarella is traditionally made. The disease is highly contagious and can kill unborn calves, cause infertility in animals and reduce milk production. Mozzarella di bufala is made with unpasteurised buffalo milk – and brucellosis can be passed to humans if they consume products made with infected unpasteurised milk. In humans the disease causes fever, weight loss and sickness. However pasteurised milk is safe.
The Camorra
It’s said that the disease has gained a hold because local vets, who are meant to test animals and put down those that are infected, have been intimidated by the Camorra – the Neapolitan mafia. The Camorra apparently controls much of the buffalo mozzarella industry. Around 30% of the herd, that’s over 30,000 animals, is now considered to be infected. One of the worst affected areas is Caserta, one of the most important places for mozzarella production. Officials are now planning to carry out a large scale cull and armed police will accompany vets on their rounds.
Toxic Waste in Campania
An additional factor affecting the mozzarella industry is the rapid accumulation of refuse in the settlements around Naples – a city where recycling levels are extremely low. Officials failed to plan properly for rubbish disposal, and recently declared local dumps were full – so rubbish has begun to accumulate in the streets. Illegal dumping is already a problem – with some claiming that the Camorra (who control the waste transport business) routinely hide toxic waste in ordinary rubbish, rather than paying to dispose of it safely.
Now officials plan to get rid of the rubbish in the streets by re-opening a landfill site at the town of Pianura. It’s a poisoned site that is considered to be responsible for high local rates of cancer – and local people are mounting vociferous protests.
Is it Safe?
The air, soil and water in at least one part of Campania is already badly polluted with high levels of toxins – which come from illegally dumped waste. And lambs in fields near Caserta, that centre of mozzarella production, have been born with terrible birth defects. At least one top Italian chef has declared that he would not wish to give unpasteurised buffalo mozzarella to a child at present. Without firm and swift action, it looks as if one of Italy’s most famous foods will be off the menu for some time to come.
