The Apulo-Calabrese 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.
In the early 20th century, local sub-types from these areas were known as the Catanzarese, the Cosentina, the Reggitana and the Lagonegrese respectively; these types are now considered extinct.
Numbers fell drastically after the Second World War, and in particular from the 1970s, following the introduction of faster-growing foreign breeds such as the British Yorkshire.
A herdbook was established in 2001,[5] and is kept by the Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini, the Italian national association of pig breeders.
The population remains low: at the end of 2007 it was 499,[4] and conservation status of the breed was listed as "endangered-maintained" by the FAO in the same year.