Pecorino Romano, the most important Pdo cheese derived from sheep’s milk in the European Union-28, both in terms of product volumes and generated value, claims about 60% of total cheese production from sheep’s milk in Sardinia and 48% of the national total. According to some data of the Consortium for the Protection of Pecorino Romano Cheese, production in 2015 totalled 301,000 tonnes, for a little over 1 million forms, and a turnover of 250 million euro. Moreover, there is also an upward trend this year as a result of favourable economic activities thanks to the climate and to the milk production of livestock breeding.
USA, THE STRONGEST PRESENCE – We are also receiving some excellent news on export items which account for 65% of the commercial value of Pecorino Romano (about 150 million euro). It thus establishes itself again as the most exported cheese to the U.S., which is the first target market (63%), followed by the EU-28 (30%), but has recently been considerably increasing its export flow also to Japan and Australia. “Major international opportunities,” clarifies Salvatore Palitta, President of the Consortium for the Protection of Pecorino Romano Cheese, “are created by the fact that increments in total and per capita consumption of cheese, especially in the most lucrative markets such as the Usa and the growth of awareness and interest in quality and geographically indicated products are expected. Major threats, on the other hand, are related to multinational competitors drawing on larger resources who have a stronger presence in world markets, and to weak protection policies of the products with designation of origin especially in North America, where our product is mostly present”.