The jamón iberico bellota is produced only from black-legged pigs, which must spend the last month of their lives eating acorns in the oak forest.
As a result of the very hot and dry summer, the oaks began to produce fewer acorns. 2022 was the hottest summer on record in Spain and the third driest. The amount of rain in the Extremadura region has fallen by 35% in the last 50 years. This, as well as a drop in the market price has led to a 20% reduction in production of one of the most expensive varieties of jamon.
According to the rules, producers of jamon berico bellota are allowed to import acorns from other countries. "The main acorn sellers are Morocco and Algeria, but I worry that importing acorns could cause new diseases," notes Francisco Esparrago, president of the Señorio de Montanera jamon company.
"Even if this summer is not as dry as 2022, we are not optimistic. I expect this year to be worse than my 40 years with the company," Esparrago commented.
PigUA.info by theguardian.com