Research project on the cross-border dairy sheep stock, the production techniques and the quality of the products obtained; transfer of the collected data to the sector.
The project aims at gathering more accurate and thorough information about the sheep stock in the Venetian province and in the Slovenian partner area. The dairy sector - and in particular the breeding system, the breeds chosen, the quality of the produced milk and cheese - are going to be monitored in order to better understand the components of the production sector. The first stage is going to detect the areas of production and consumption of pure and mixed ewe’s-milk cheese, linking them with neighbouring and/or similar areas in the Veneto region and in Slovenia. To this end, the breeds that are - and were - part of the stock for the production of these types of cheese, and their connections with the territory are going to be analysed and studied. Equally important is analysing the systems of breeding and feeding, the productive cycle, the chemical, organoleptic and dairy characteristics of milk, the methods of processing, conservation and ripening, as well as the cheese-selling systems, without neglecting the characteristics of intermediate and final users. An accurate identification of products makes it possible to update the national list, possibly taking advantage of the exceptions with regard to health and hygiene. The exceptions that legitimize the traditional practices are defined by decree for each traditional product, taking account of the hygienic standards of production and ensuring that the final product meets the requirements of healthiness and safety. Production traditions will therefore be resumed also by restaurants and farmhouse accommodations.