The economic conditions of the locati were far from homogeneous. Most transhumant herds belonged to a limited number of large breeders who, by virtue of their economic weight, exercised strong influence over the others. For these locati maggiori, the establishment of the Dogana di Foggia represented a considerable advantage, thanks to the numerous privileges granted to them. When grazing plots were assigned within the locazioni, they enjoyed priority and consistently secured the best lands.

Alongside these large proprietors were the piccoli locati, for whom the costs of transhumance — especially in the case of herds numbering only a few dozen animals — often did not justify the required effort. These shepherds were compelled to leave their families for about six months each year, earning only modest profits in return. In order to gain influence during the allocation of grazing poste, some affiliated themselves with a large locato or formed associations among themselves. It was also not uncommon for locati to avoid the costs of transhumance altogether by remaining in Abruzzo and entrusting their flocks to transhumant shepherds, delegating the care of the herd until its return.

There were also those who paid the fida without actually practicing transhumance, thus renouncing Apulian grazing rights. To do so, they needed adequate stables and access to sufficient fodder to survive the winter. In order to collect the fida from such breeders, the “Doganella delle pecore rimaste” was established as a subsidiary office of the Dogana di Foggia. Over time, its responsibilities expanded to the point that it became an autonomous body known as the “Doganella d’Abruzzo”.

Among the smaller locati, various evasive practices also developed. Some divided their flocks into groups of 19 or fewer sheep, each registered under a different name, in order to avoid the law requiring payment of the fida only from those owning more than 20 sheep of the gentile breed.

Another way of evading taxation was to avoid breeding gentile sheep altogether, that is, those obtained by crossing with Spanish Merino stock. Instead, shepherds turned to native Italian breeds such as mosce and carfagne, which were more robust but yielded lower-grade wool. To improve output, new breeds were developed: by the mid-seventeenth century, shepherds obtained bigie sheep. Although their wool did not reach the quality of the gentile breed, it came close. A paradox thus emerged: in order to avoid taxation, many shepherds preferred to produce inferior wool, a choice detrimental to the Kingdom’s economy. The Dogana attempted to remedy this by taxing bigie sheep as well, but strong protests addressed to the Bourbon court led to the abandonment of the measure.

The locati were organized into an independent association, the Generalità dei Locati, governed by an elected body composed of four sindaci generali. Given the economic importance of transhumance to the state budget, the Generalità wielded considerable authority and could deal directly with the Dogana di Foggia and royal officials. Since most locati were from Abruzzo, the sindaci generali were as well. This created a situation in which an entirely Abruzzese body exerted substantial influence over Apulian affairs. The few Apulian locati unsuccessfully sought representation among the sindaci generali; every request was rejected due to the economic imbalance between the two groups.

Predictably, within the Generalità the larger locati held dominant power, and the sindaci generali were chosen primarily from among the Abruzzese elite. As a result, in disputes among breeders, decisions tended to favor the more influential parties. Likewise, when grazing lands were entrusted to the Generalità through transazione, the subsequent redistribution once again ensured that the largest locati secured the best poste.