Italy: Famous for hams, dependent on pig imports

Prosciutto di Parma, perhaps better known under its English name Parma ham, is most likely the best known pork product from Italy. The industry in the country is atypical, having a strong focus on heavy pigs. It has a unique character and tradition, yet also depends on pig and pork imports. How does that all come together? Italy has only 8.7 million pigs, of which fewer than 700,000 are sows. There are about 4,000 pig farmers in Italy; the average farm contains between 700 and 1,200 sows or b