“Transhumance is starting in Puglia, declared a World Heritage Site by the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO, a great opportunity for the protection and promotion of the ancient practice still alive on the Gargano”. This is what Coldiretti Puglia announces in underlining the value of the traditional seasonal migration of flocks, herds and shepherds who, together with their dogs and horses, move from the plains to the mountains, following the semi-natural paths of the sheep tracks, with journeys of days and stops in pre-established places, known as “staging stations”.
Transhumance takes place in May – explains Coldiretti Puglia – because the animals need to leave, they feel the heat, they suffer it, they need cooler temperatures than the mountain pastures. On the Gargano the journey lasts 4 days with 3 stops to rest in San Paolo Civitate, Santa Croce di Magliano, Ripalimosani and Frosolone. Only the smallest animals stay at home, because they wouldn’t make it. The transhumance winds through the old sheep tracks of L’Aquila-Foggia, the famous ‘king’s sheep track’, crossed in San Paolo di Civitate, of Celano-Foggia and of Lucera-Castel di Sangro, with sheep tracks and sheep track arms connecting and stretches of state, provincial and municipal roads”. For this reason the walkway is escorted by the pre-alerted traffic police, because the herd invades the streets, recreating amarcord scenarios, adds Coldiretti.
The UNESCO recognition protects an activity with high ecological and social value since – continues Coldiretti – it is concentrated in disadvantaged areas and guarantees the protection of 38 breeds for the benefit of the biodiversity of the area, from the rustic Sardinian sheep to the Sopravissana sheep with excellent wool , from the Brogna with its head and limbs devoid of wool to the Comisana sheep with its characteristic red head, from the gigantic Bergamasca to the Massa sheep with its unusual black coat which represent a wealth of biodiversity whose future is threatened by a real risk of extinction.
Transhumance confirms the social, economic, historical and environmental value of sheep farming – adds Coldiretti Puglia – in a time of difficulty for livestock farming and the livestock sector, a profession rich in tradition, but very hard on the farmers who accompany them on long journeys between the ancient sheep tracks and the herds that benefit from the climate, nutrition and a ‘lifestyle’ that has returned to its origins.
The low prices paid to shepherds, the multiplication of attacks by wild animals from wild boars to wolves, the unfair competition of foreign products passed off as national but also the drift of synthetic food, with lies about test tube food confirming that there is it is a precise strategy of multinationals who, with clever marketing operations, aim to modify natural eating styles based on quality and tradition, with Coldiretti fighting because Frankenstein food is a future that cannot be eaten.
As regards laboratory meat, for example – adds Coldiretti – the truth that is not publicized is that it does not save animals because it is manufactured by exploiting the fetuses of cows, it does not save the environment because it consumes more water and energy than many traditional farms , it does not help health because there is no guarantee that the chemical products used are safe for food consumption, it is not accessible to everyone since a bioreactor is needed to make it and it is not even meat but a synthetic and engineered product.
The replacement of natural food grown in the fields with that created in the laboratory through chemistry and bioreactors endangers the made in Italy at the table starting precisely from the Mediterranean Diet – concludes Coldiretti – universally judged as the best especially from the point of view of human health. body. A record that finds practical confirmation in the fact that the diet of Italians based on the products of the Mediterranean diet such as bread, pasta, fruit, vegetables, meat, extra virgin olive oil and the traditional glass of wine consumed at the table in regular meals has allowed for hope of life among the highest in the world.
But there is also a significant impact on the massive consumption of land which has drastically reduced the spaces and traditional routes used for the transhumance of the flocks with serious repercussions on the national economy but also on the environmental structure of the territory because when a farm closes it loses – concludes Coldiretti Puglia – an entire system made up of animals, meadows for fodder, typical cheeses and above all people committed to fighting depopulation and degradation, often for entire generations.
