Is Istrian pršut under threat?

Pršut

The Croatian region of Istria produces approximately 20,000 standard pršuts annually, with around 2,000 bearing the European Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), officially recognised as Istrian pršut.

However, production faces challenges due to stringent regulations and external factors, HRT reports.

The PDO status mandates that pigs must originate from Istria or specific Slavonian counties, adhering to precise breeding and feeding standards.

Recent outbreaks of swine fever in some regions have further complicated production, leading to a scarcity of certified raw materials and threatening pršut production.

Given the risk of losing European protection, the County is initiating efforts to promote pig farming within Istria.

Currently, only one larger producer can manage the dual production lines required to handle meat from restricted areas, as smaller producers cannot afford the necessary separate facilities.

This situation has resulted in the last 900 pieces of certified Istrian pršut being produced under these challenging conditions.

Due to the protection status, producers cannot purchase just any pigs; only specific breeds from designated areas, raised on locally grown feed, weighing at least 200 kilograms, and monitored by a control body are acceptable.

Not all pršut qualifies as Istrian. Only those stamped as produced according to strict rules and bearing the European PDO mark can be called Istrian pršut. Others are simply pršut.

While there is no shortage of pork legs for general pršut production, the situation is different for those with protected designation.

No producers have salted new pršut this year, raising concerns about the future availability of Istrian pršut.

Paolo Jelenić, president of the Istrian Pršut Association, acknowledges the problem but remains hopeful: “We won’t run out, God willing, but it is a problem,” he told HRT.

Producers are not considering abandoning PDO pršut production or reducing protection levels.

The County is ready to assist by organising pig farming in Istria, with interested parties already coming forward. Initially, this would involve a small number of pigs, sufficient to ensure Istrian pršut does not disappear.

Producers aim to maintain Istrian pršut as a boutique delicacy rather than pursuing large-scale production.