Hungarian farmers took a closer look at buffalo farming in Italy

The Hungarian Buffalo Breeders Association visited Italy to learn about buffalo breeding and cheese production, and to build relationships with Italian breeders. The visit included tours of 10 farms in southern Italy, where buffaloes are kept in various conditions, with some kept in overcrowded conditions on concrete floors and not provided with resting places. Manure is usually pushed out from under the animals weekly, and grazing is not common. Straw is used for animal feed, not as bedding.

Crowded housing conditions, weekly fertilization – not everywhere in Italy is a “heaven” for buffaloes. The Hungarian Buffalo Breeders Association, which is 25 years old this year, visited Italy for the second time in November 2024. Most of the participants were buffalo breeders, a total of 26 people took part in the professional trip – the February 2025 issue of the Hungarian Animal Breeders’ Journal states. The purpose of the visit was to learn about buffalo breeding and mozzarella cheese production in Italy, exchange professional experiences, and build professional relationships with Italian breeders. In Italy, there are 420 thousand Italian Mediterranean buffaloes, distributed in two provinces – Campania and Lazio. There are a total of 5 counties in the Campania province, where more than two-thirds (70%) of the buffalo population is located, which means a total of 290 thousand animals. Within the province, there are 110 thousand buffaloes in the province of Salerno, while ...