The Agency for Rural Development of Istria (AZRI), the Istria County and the Association of Producers of Istrian Prosciutto have launched a pilot project of systematic pig rearing, which for the first time establishes an organised model of domestic raw material production for Istrian prosciutto and other traditional meat products, according to Glas Istre.
The project was presented at a press conference at the Buretić family farm in Mandići in the Bolje Polje area. In the first year of implementation, 250 piglets will be fattened on four farms: the Buretić, Mateo, and Kalčić family farms in Selina, Livade, and the Valturi prison, in accordance with the specification for the production of Istrian prosciutto with a protected designation of origin.
Unlike previous practice, all stages of production are coordinated by AZRI, from the purchase of piglets, planning of feeding and veterinary oversight to the transport, slaughter and delivery of pig halves to prosciutto producers. Producers declare their raw material needs in advance and secure funding for the implementation, so farmers know in advance that their livestock will be purchased.
Farmers are guaranteed a purchase price of four euros per kilogram of live weight. The pigs will be fattened to a live weight of approximately 180 kilograms, with a minimum age of nine months, and the slaughter will begin in November of this year and last until the end of February next year.
The expert part of the project is led by Prof. Dr. Krešimir Salaj from the Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb, working with experts from AZRI, with individual feeding plans for each farmer and continuous oversight by the certification body Biotechnicon.
The director of AZRI, Igor Merlić, stated that the project represents one of the most important development initiatives for Istrian livestock in recent years. "This project is creating the foundation for a completely new model of cooperation between breeders, fatteners and producers of Istrian prosci," said Merlić, adding that the long-term goal is a system that will include an increasing number of producers each year and ensure a stable supply of domestic raw materials.
