[3] It is one of the six autochthonous pig breeds recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry.

First-generation crosses preserved some of the meat quality of the local breeds, but grew much faster; because of their smoky colouring, these hybrids were known as Fumati.

At that point the Italian World Wildlife Fund, the Università degli Studi di Torino and other institutions launched a recovery project, and numbers have since increased.

[3] A herdbook was established in 2001,[6] and is kept by the Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini, the Italian national association of pig breeders.

[2][7] The breed remains at risk from crossing with Italian Duroc pigs; first-generation hybrids are difficult to distinguish from pure-bred stock.