Suffering for mozzarella

Buffaloes with open wounds living in very small pens full of their own excrement. Calves being killed by a hammer blow, because they don't produce milk and are therefore considered useless. Animals that go thirsty because there's not enough water for them.

These pictures have shocked animal lovers and fans of mozzarella around the world. The disturbing footage comes from an online video by international animal rights group Four Paws. But the organization of buffalo farms and mozzarella producers says this disturbing video does not represent the reality of most buffalo farmers.

Happy buffaloes roam free

Cesare Iemma owns one of the biggest buffalo farms in Pastorano, a small village 50 km north of Naples. He has 1800 animals and produces his own mozzarella on site. He shrugs his shoulders as he watches the video. "I think that in every sector, whether it's cows or buffaloes, there are people that work in one way and people that work in another," Iemma says. "But this is not my reality."

Iemma's farm is 200 hectares large, with 13 stables and four large meadows containing pools of water. His buffaloes have enough to drink and don't stand in their own excrements either.

"On this farm all animals, after the morning milking session, around 10am, have the possibility to go outside on the meadows and have a bath," the farmer says, adding that the water is changed frequently. "After the afternoon milking, the animals have to stay inside the stables, but in the mornings they can wander around freely."

Iella's farm is in the province of Caserta. 50 percent of all mozzarella di bufala, or 'white gold,' as people call it here, comes from Caserta. In total there are around 600 mozzarella cheese factories and buffalo farms, and it's a 500 million euro business.

'Profound anger' in reaction to the mistreatment

But only half of these companies belong to the Consorzio di Tutela della Mozzarella di Bufala Campana. This EU-registered organization controls the quality of cheese and the buffalo farms. Strict rules apply for members of the consortium, including rules relating to animal welfare, says Antonio Lucisano, director of the consortium. He's also seen the video produced by the animal rights organization Four Paws.

"My first reaction was one of profound anger," Lucisano says. "I really want to know who these people are to be able to persecute them legally." He emphasizes that the black sheep who mistreat their buffaloes so grossly, reflect very badly on the work of all the other farmers: "I can assure you that the vast majority of the thousands of people working in the sector get up early every day, 365 days a year, to produce mozzarella di bufala."

The problem is that businesses that are not members of the consortium can legally produce mozzarella di bufala by using a slightly different name. Furthermore Caserta is not only the capital of buffalo mozzarella, but also of the Camorra, a violent mafia organization, which is also involved in producing mozzarella. That's not very good for the image of the cheese, either.

Learning from the past

"It's a wound, of course," Lucisano admits. "But it also could be an opportunity to improve." He cites the examples of dioxin scandals and the garbage crisis in the region. "The reason we have an ethics code is because of problems in the past. For example, for our next meeting we have scheduled a discussion on animal welfare."

The mozzarella consortium doesn't deny there are problems in the sector, but defends the cheese produced by its members who are subjected to about 200 checks a year. The organization says it has never encountered any problems. But it is calling for stricter rules on which cheeses be named mozzarella di bufala. That, they hope, will protect buffaloes as well as businesses and consumers.