Heliciculture, or breeding snails for food, is not a very common activity.
Indeed, it is a sector that is still little explored in the world of entrepreneurship.
This is due to the lack of knowledge and information about the possible advantages or disadvantages that can be encountered by investing in this field.
Despite this, the interest in farm production has greatly increased in recent years.
And, as a result, the industry is experiencing growing demand.
This is because snails are not only considered a gastronomic delicacy, but are of increasing importance in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical fields.
RAISING SNAILS IS AN INTERESTING BUSINESS
Raising snails is a prospect both for those who want to create a business and invest in this field, and for those who want to do it purely as a hobby, perhaps alongside the vegetable garden.
This small overview on the subject aims to investigate the economic aspect. In addition to the breeding techniques and the various necessary jobs, marketing. And, moreover, the possible income deriving from this particular agricultural activity.
HELICULTURE: INVESTMENTS TO RAISE SNAILS
First of all, before starting a farm it is important to acquire in-depth knowledge on the subject.
And then to have land suitable for the growth of these molluscs. It is also advisable to learn different cultivation methods from other producers before deciding on your own.
This is because, like all agricultural work, snail breeding is a demanding activity.
And those looking for an easy income risk wasting time and money. In fact, snails require a considerable initial investment.
It is necessary to purchase material for fencing and specialized sowing, disinfectants and rodent control products.
In addition to breeders and other equipment such as a two-wheel tractor to work the land, a brush cutter to contain weeds.
And then containers and cold rooms to store the snails collected for sale. To these are added the costs of packaging, marketing and bureaucracy.
In order to incentivize heliciculture, many regions have allocated public aid. Above all to facilitate the initial opening phase of the plant and encourage the start-up of this entrepreneurial activity.
HELICULTURE: SET UP A BREEDING
The choice of the method, the soil and the type of snails is fundamental for snail breeding. Yes, because the quality of the selected breeders determines the productivity of the company.
BREEDING METHOD
Some helicopter farms prefer to keep snails indoors so as not to worry about weather agents or predators.
But breeding can easily take place outdoors. This is because the Italian climate allows snails to live without the need for greenhouses.
The traditional way to breed snails involves keeping them in two distinct areas.
One dedicated to reproduction where gastropods multiply, and one to breeding where they grow and fatten.
There is also the possibility of setting up a single breeding tank, in which the entire life cycle takes place.
THE IDEAL WOULD BE RAISING SNAILS OUTDOORS
Since snails need light to grow, outdoor rearing is ideal.
For this reason it is necessary to use protective structures to safeguard them so that they are not attacked by predators, such as rodents and birds.
An important part for the correct management of the farm consists, as anticipated, in the construction of an external enclosure with nets for snails, anti-escape crags and an underground part.
An effective snail farming system is the Madonita method.
It was created from the mix of the most important elements of each system used both in Italy and abroad.
A type of farming that allows you to produce large quantities of snails in a short time with the lowest possible investment, while at the same time guaranteeing a very high quality of the product.
SOIL REQUIREMENTS
To start an outdoor snail farm you first need the soil, the choice of which will have to take into account several factors.
For example, a clayey or too compact soil should be avoided, as the stagnation of water that could be created would drown the molluscs.
A factor to consider is also the slope, which must not exceed 30%, however, preferring flat areas.
It is also important that the soil is sunny, but not devoid of shaded areas where snails can hydrate and feed.
From a chemical point of view, soils rich in calcium carbonate are preferable, as they favor the formation of the shell.
Finally, the size of the plot depends on both the resources available and the amount of time available for cultivation.
At this point you can proceed to the various stages of working the land.
They consist in deep plowing and tilling, fundamental because they prepare the soil for the future sowing of the vegetables that the snails will feed on.
And above all because they move the predatory insects residing in the first 10 cm of the earth, making subsequent disinfestation efficient.
The sown vegetables serve as food, such as chard, cauliflower, radicchio and broccoli.
And from habitats, such as salad leaves that allow snails to protect themselves from being too hot in summer and cold in winter.
Finally, the land must be constantly cleaned and irrigated, in order to obtain an optimal habitat for the development of snails.
WHICH REPRODUCERS TO BUY
The next decision to take concerns the purchase of the first snails, or the reproducers, which will have to guarantee resistant and productive individuals.
There are different breeds each with certain characteristics: size, reproductive capacity, resistance to external agents and flavor of the meat.
The most common snails on farms for their good size, speed of growth and reproduction, and the quality of their meat are Cornu Aspersum and Helix Pomatia, known as Burgundian.
To start breeding, at the beginning of spring, the mares snails are inserted in the fenced land, destined to mate and reproduce.
The snails are collected in the right way and at the right time.
Only later, in order to be able to eat or sell the meat, a purging phase is necessary, so that the molluscs are preserved by losing moisture and purifying themselves of faeces.
In this cycle it is also necessary to consider the summer and winter hibernation, a fundamental rest period for the health of molluscs.
HELICICULTURE: HOW MUCH AND HOW YOU EARN
Before starting to make money by breeding snails, it is good to study the sector carefully and learn the job realizing the commitment required.
Having said that, it must be borne in mind that farm income is very variable. And it largely depends on commercialization.
To maximize profits, a strategy involves reaching the customer without intermediaries, presenting the finished product, an activity that requires a lot of time and energy. Alternatively, it is possible to use retailers, grocery stores and restaurants.
In this way, a portion of the income is forfeited, but with a lower marketing effort.
The ideal alternative for those who do not intend to spend time in the sales phase is to turn to consortia or wholesalers, but seeing a large slice of income fade.
MEAT, SLUDE AND EGGS
Speaking of commercial uses, breeding snails is interesting because three products derive from them, which are sold, generating income for those who do this job: meat, drool and eggs.
The primary use of snails is food, as they are a sought after food and highly appreciated in gastronomy.
In some countries, such as France and Spain, their meat is a very popular dish. Even in many areas of Italy, snails are part of the typical cuisine.
To understand the opportunity to enter the snail market, just consider that Italian heliciculture does not meet internal demand and that tons of snail meat are imported every year.
But their use is not limited only to gastronomy. Not everyone knows that the mucus that snails leave, the so-called slime, is a substance rich in properties and in great demand on the market.
And it represents another important source of income. The allantoin it contains is the reason for its use in the pharmaceutical field, for its healing power.
Just as in cosmetics it is used a lot in the creation of beauty creams and ointments, precisely for its regenerating effect on skin cells.
Parallel to the development of natural cosmetics, snail slime has become a high-value product.
Snail eggs are also highly sought after and the consumption of the so-called snail caviar or “Aphrodite’s pearls”, despite being a novelty for Italian gastronomy, is enjoying great success.
Eggs are sold at very high prices. This is because harvesting them involves a lot of manual work and because each egg could potentially develop a snail.
HELICULTURE: CONCLUSIONS
There are many reasons for undertaking heliciculture. Primarily they reside both in the passion for an outdoor job and in the search for a profitable profession.
However, it would be counterproductive to think that this sector offers easy profits. Yes, because you need skills, commitment and perseverance as in all agricultural work.
A negative aspect of this activity, especially in the beginning, is the high mortality rate of snails, as each snail is able to produce only about forty eggs per year, of which about half survive.
Only once they reach adulthood, or after two years of life, can they be placed on the market.
Finally, since heliciculture is an agricultural activity in all respects, the bureaucratic aspect must be considered.
For the construction of the plants it is necessary to register with the Agricultural Companies Register, to open a VAT number and a tax account.
In addition to registration with INPS and Inail, as well as compliance with all the hygiene regulations available at the regional ASL.
Before embarking on this path it would therefore be advisable to make a first experimentation at a hobby level. It starts with a small farm, and then gradually grows.
