Sicilian goat breed under threat of extinction after prolonged drought

Published: 
Listen to this article
  • Water shortage, rations have led to less grazing land for the animals in Italy
Reuters |
Published: 
Comment

Latest Articles

3 Hong Kong public universities in top 10 Asian rankings

I’m falling for you! 7 romantic idioms to express your love

5 Hong Kong podcasts led by young people

Fanaco Lake, which provides water to a vast part of southern Sicily, has suffered due to drought. Photo: AP

A blazing sun shining on the arid hills of San Cataldo in Sicily signals only despair for local goat breeder Luca Cammarata as he tries to find something for his herd to eat among the barren landscape.

“The grazing land is zero,” said Cammarata, looking sadly at his ‘Girgentana’ goats. He and his fellow herders have sought to protect and nurture the local breed which is now threatened with extinction.

A water shortage is hitting central areas of Sicily such as San Cataldo, in the province of Caltanissetta, very hard. Reservoirs are running dry or operating at very low levels. A prolonged drought last year led Sicilian authorities to ration water, even for domestic use in major cities.

Local breeders, struggling to get their water, now fear they may soon be forced to send the animals, bred for centuries for dairy products including ricotta cheese, to slaughter.

“There is no other way, no other solution,” Cammarata said. “If every last drop of water falling from the sky is not collected, Sicily will become a desert”.

The cost of water consumption has doubled for Cammarata and he has to rely on the Carabinieri Forestry Department’s tanker truck that every 15 days reaches the province’s farms and livestock breeders.

Amid heatwave in Mexico, howler monkeys are falling dead from trees

“We are giving support to these farms struggling with this unprecedented drought,” said Alessandro Panzarella, a member of the Carabinieri Command for Forest, Environment and Agri-Food, who with his olive-green tanker truck drives along arid and dusty roads to help bring vital supplies.

“With only one tanker truck for the whole province, it becomes impossible to meet the needs of all the farmers,” he said.

“We visit many farms throughout the province of Caltanissetta and the situation is disastrous.”

Agricultural production across Italy shrank last year as wine, fruit and olive oil output all took a hit from extreme weather events linked to climate change.

Sicily has suffered months of below-average rainfall, with the Italian government declaring a state of emergency. The island has suffered with climate change-related high temperatures, setting a European heat record in 2021 of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119 degrees Fahrenheit).

Sign up for the YP Teachers Newsletter
Get updates for teachers sent directly to your inbox
By registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy
Comment