The Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Forestry guarantees that it never missed any support, not even in general terms not even in specific terms, to the production of farmhouse cheese in the island of Pico, namely in what it concerns the vocational training to the cheese makers (theoretical and practical), fulfilment of guided technical visits to cheese making dairies of similar characteristics, in other regions of the Mainland.

In this process, the Government of the Azores still supplied technical free support to the implementation of the correct toil practices, to the implementation of the self-control (HACCP) from getting the milk till the production of cheese and financial outright grant support to the Association of Producers of Cheese of Pico, to mitigate the legal demands and to investments carried out in the associate dairies and explorations of milk.

On the 6th February 2006, the Executive presented a specific program (Innovatory System for the Quality of the Farmhouse Cheese - SIQUAL - Pico) which aims at the promotion and safeguards of the farmhouse cheese of Pico, specifically of the “DOP Cheese of Pico”, establishing the same thing, in the establishment of a protocol of promise between the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Forestry, the Association of Producers of Cheese of Pico and each producer in specific.

Constantly, the technicians of the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Forestry have been accompanying the process of modernization of the cheese making dairies, as well as of the whole method of production, implementation of the Self-control/HACCP and the support next to the associate explorations suppliers of milk, in which it concerns getting quality raw material (right hygienic-sanitary conditions), giving guarantees of continuity to the farmhouse production of cheese, situation that happens with normality.

As part of this Program, there are already current the construction of two new dairies, one in the council of Madalena and another in the council of São Roque, being already planned the construction of a third one in the council of Lajes do Pico.

These new equipments exclusively devoted to the “DOP Cheese of Pico” are architecturally, technically and materially model dairies adapted to the specific production of the farmhouse cheese of Pico, as part of a process of innovation and quality.   

The actions developed by the Government of the Azores have been allowing guaranteeing the continuity of this regional genuine product, without being able to accuse the official entities of any lethargy, since they have been doing everything to secure its production, in proximity and in partnership with the Association of Producers of Cheese of Pico.

However, the official departments cannot be substituted to the businessmen, being that it falls to them the initiatives in order to guarantee the development and production of this product, highlighting the whole platform of supports and of technical sustainability that the Government of the Azores puts, and has been putting, to the service of preservation and production of the “DOP Cheese of Pico”.