Sustainable farming is a shared resource
When we say that Grigio del Casentino® meat is good, we are not just referring to its taste. Good meat, for us, must also be healthy, ethical and sustainable.
The healthiness of meat depends on two factors: the animals’ diet and the processing methods. And our products are doubly healthy. First, because the animals live in a semi-free range in the Casentino forests, where they feed on what nature provides.
Second, because we have banned chemicals from our processing. We use superior quality raw material, time, humidity and temperature, without allergens, preservatives, dyes, stabilizers, thickeners and other “junk,” as we call them.
Grigio del Casentino® pork is also ethical. Animal welfare is our priority. To ensure our pigs have a good life, we carry out a project that is the exact opposite of intensive farming. Our animals live free and have plenty of space – and time – to follow their instincts in their natural habitat.
But there’s more, because our farming is also ecologically sustainable. In fact, the very short supply chain and simple breeding methods, like those of our grandparents, guarantee an environmental impact that is not even remotely comparable to that of large-scale farms.
Many consumers, even those attentive to quality and animal welfare, do not realize how much the meat industry “weighs” on the environment. Precisely because this fact often goes unnoticed, and precisely because it is so important to us instead, we have decided to provide a detailed examination of it.
The numbers are the problem
The issue with intensive farming is that it is, indeed, intensive. There are so many animals, confined in confined spaces.
This, from an environmental perspective, causes at least three major problems:
- The animals obviously cannot procure their food naturally. The ever-increasing demand for industrial livestock feed is the primary cause of deforestation and land clearance.
Twenty percent of the world’s land is used for grazing and more than 40 percent of cultivated land is devoted to feed production. The immediate result is the loss of biodiversity, and the long-term result is the shortage of arable land for human use. Add to this the fact that forests, especially rainforests, absorb tons and tons of carbon every day, and the devastating environmental impact of intensive livestock farming is clear. - Many animals mean a lot of waste. Livestock manure contains ammonia, methane, nitrogen and nitrates. Let’s be clear: waste has always existed, even when our grandparents raised pigs here in Casentino, and they always will. The problem is the quantity.
When the number of animals is small, the waste remains manageable at the local level, but when it’s tons and tons, the issue becomes much more complex. Currently, most livestock waste is sold as fertilizer. However, the soil does not always absorb the nitrogen compounds, which can transfer from the soil to surface water and groundwater, compromising their quality. - Greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption. Did you know that intensive farming pollutes more than all transportation combined? Intensive farming is the leading cause of greenhouse gasses, responsible for rising temperatures and climate change.
As for water, no farming, not even the most sustainable, can do without it. The problem, again, is the large quantities. Imagine how much water is used for billions of animals and add to that the water needed for cleaning barns that no animal has ever left and for the processes related to slaughtering and meat processing. Are we sure there isn’t a smarter way to use all this water, when half of the planet is at risk of drought?
The solution exists
If our project is so different from that of other farmers, it is because our goal is not simply to provide delicious meat, but to create from scratch a new production system that respects both the animal and the environment.
Here is how we solve, point by point, the main issues of intensive farming:
- No tree has been cut down for our pigs (unless they knocked it down themselves!). Our animals live in a semi-free range environment and, when they are hungry, they roam the forests and forage for acorns, fruits, roots and mushrooms according to the season.
We occupy a territory and at the same time protect it, ensuring it remains in its natural state, just as we found it and as we want to leave it to our children. - We cannot prevent livestock waste from containing nitrogen and methane, but we can reduce the environmental impact by keeping the quantities small. The foundation of our project is actually this: we are the first to say that meat should be enjoyed, but also consumed with awareness and moderation.
We do not need billions of animals to eat well and be healthy. The solution is simple: reduce consumption by choosing quality. It is good for the environment and for our health. - We use very little water and do so with the utmost care. Our animals are few and spend most of their lives outdoors. Our meat and cured meat production focuses more on quality than quantity, so we can easily limit all consumption.
Same goes for greenhouse gasses. However, what sets us apart most from other producers is transportation. While many send animals to abattoirs abroad to cut costs, we only rely on a local abattoir that we know well and know how they work.
Not all meat is the same because not all farms are the same. Only semi-free range farming ensures a decent life for the animals and a reduced environmental impact.
