December 19, 2008

Blessed Are (Some of) the Cheesemakers - The Lede Blog - NYTimes.com

Blessed Are (Some of) the Cheesemakers - The Lede Blog - NYTimes.com

You gotta luv the Italians! Their Parmesan bailout has set pundits, story writers and headline creators all a-twitter. The Financial Times leaves no pun unturned!

"Producers of parmigiano in the Emilia-Romagna region smell the pungent whiff of trouble. With many selling their cheese at below cost, parmigiano makers are facing the prospect of going out of business – some are even using their cheese as collateral against bank loans they are using to pay for workers’ salaries. Now Luca Zaia, the big cheese for agriculture in the Italian government, has intervened, announcing a €50m bail-out for the celebrated formaggio.

The move has already grated producers of other cheese varieties. Makers of buffalo mozzarella, for instance, fear that without dipping into a fondue of government cash they too may fall by the whey-side. The blood of some economic observers has curdled at the thought of the Italian government rescuing any and every industry facing difficulty. Unlike the cheese itself, the case for protecting parmigiano has not been easy for some to digest."

No comments: