I am not an expert in animal feeding, so I have asked some information to my colleagues:

1) About pig

In Italy, swine production is mainly geared toward raising heavy pigs for cured meats, and this type of pig must have particular characteristics which are rarely considered in the other European and non-European countries. The meat must obviously be irreprehensible in terms of safety, but must also have good dietetic and nutritional characteristics and particular organoleptic properties while at the same time being suitable for industrial processing, seasoning and preservation in the form of cured meat products. For the heavy pig, this means producing carcasses and meat with a high level of acceptability on the part of the users (slaughterhouse, curing plant, or final consumer), at the lowest possible cost.

Over the last few years, due to the increased public attention to issues of the environment and the various forms of life that populate it, other elements have taken on growing importance in the perception of quality. In particular, the environmental impact of livestock production has become an extremely important issue, with the widespread conviction - not always supported by objective factors - that intensive livestock production create imbalances in the environment that hosts such activity. To the same extent, there is increased concern for the welfare of the animals themselves; an excessively anthropomorphic interpretation of animal welfare can lead to opposite and undesirable results.

Due to this series of factors, intensive livestock production has been transformed over a short time into a highly technological activity, managed by professionals with a higher level of education and a more in-depth and precise understanding of the problems and issues involved. Only this type of professional is now and will be able in the future to effectively conduct an activity in which product quality is guaranteed by a complex regulatory system that takes into consideration the entire range of aspects.

 PARTICULARITIES OF SWINE PRODUCTION IN ITALY
The fundamental characteristic of Italian swine production is the high live weight of the animals slaughtered as an expression of age. In fact, the optimum weight for slaughtering to obtain meat suitable for producing the typical cured meats is between 155 and 170 kg of live weight .In particular, the production regulations related to the protected circuit of the Parma and San Daniele hams provide for an average slaughtering weight per lot of 160 kg + 10%; lots with average weight of less than 145 kg or more than 176 kg are heavily penalised by the market. Such a high live weight must be reached in no less than nine months of age, which is certified by means of a burdensome but necessary system of branding on the thigh of the piglet which must be made within 30 days of its birth.

These restrictions make the production costs for the heavy pig higher than those for the butchering pig produced in other countries of the European Union and the rest of the world, but are justified by the particular and prized qualitative characteristics that distinguish the typical products of Italian cured meats.

The specific characteristics of these products are the result of centuries of evolution in traditional pig production in Italy, and especially in the Po Valley region. Though the practice in this region dates from pre-Roman times, it began to assume its current characteristics in the second half of the 19th century, the starting point for a transformation from family farms to intensive production in order to make use of the by-products of the dairy industry, in particular whey.

This development led to the progressive abandonment of the indigenous breed of black-coated pigs, which were excellent grazers but not able to ingest and adequately exploit the voluminous whey-based rations, and their gradual substitution with the Large White breed which was better adapted to this type of production and, above all, can reach a higher slaughtering weight while maintaining efficiency in nutrient transformation.

Recalling these traditions justifies another of the particular features of Italian pig production, aimed at the use of whey in fattening and which therefore imposed the preparation of rations in liquid form (mash). The use of whey and the administration of food in liquid form also resulted in being effective for obtaining higher quality meat.
 

2) About dairy cattle for Parmesan cheese:

The zone producing Parmesan cheese extends on the right-hand of the river Po from the lowlands to the Apennini uplands. The farms are much specialized in dairying and, in spite of the severe constraints (particularly the prohibition of silage-making), 90% of farmers deliver their milk to cheese factories, mostly small cooperatives, to make Parmesan. The forage system is based on lucerne grown in rotation with other crops, and the cows, who remain indoors throughout the year, are mainly fed hay (from lucerne or from permanent pastures).
 

regards
Sergio