Po River drying in heatwave threatens Emilia's dairy farms

Italy's longest river is drying up in the grip of a severe heatwave, with seawater beginning to seep into the waterway as it runs low. The Local Italy reported Saturday that the drought is hitting a farming heartland that produces the milk for Parmesan cheese. For Emilia-Romagna, where the Po valley forms the productive plain that defines the region's economy, the crisis strikes at the foundation of one of Italy's most protected food names.

The Parmigiano-Reggiano consortium, which guards the denomination of origin for the cheese, depends on a steady supply of fresh milk from dairy herds across the Po plain. The river provides both irrigation for pasture and water for cooling milk in the early stages of production. As temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius across the plain, the dual pressure of evaporation and heavy irrigation demand has left the Po at historic lows, forcing farmers to rely on increasingly stressed groundwater reserves.