Campaign Friendly-whose? #CleanSpades

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Campagna Amica is a leitmotif propagated everywhere, for years, in city centers and in the news always faithful to Coldiretti’s orders. But what does ‘Friendly Campaign’ mean, what is behind it, Whose friend?

Reality is far from bucolic in this as in so many other affairs revolving around Palazzo Rospigliosi and its magic circle. #CleanSpades. Insight.

1) Campagna Amica Foundation

The National Coldiretti Confederation has established-at its headquarters in Rome, Via XXIV Marzo 43-the Campagna Amica Foundation. The latter:

(a) holds the registered trademark ‘Campagna Amica’, in use at the eponymous ‘proximity markets’,

(b) check (or at least, should check)

The agricultural origin of products sold by individual farms in markets. Neglecting the circumstance that some stalls, in addition to selling their own goods, resell those of various other businesses, even from other regions (to the point of becoming small bazaars, in some cases),

The prices charged to the consumer. These should respond to mercurials, i.e., values updated according to the average market price of various commodities, and expressly refer to products sold ‘under derogation’ at higher than list prices. But this is unfortunately not the case,

c) identifies ‘in collaboration with theterritorialFederations‘ of Coldiretti, the premises where to establish Campagna Amica markets.

Campagna Amica Foundation, the organization

The Campagna Amica Foundation , whose CEO is Carmelo Troccoli, does not have an organizational structure consistent with its stated goals. Since de facto ‘collaboration with territorial Coldiretti Federations‘ results in exclusive charges and costs to be borne by the latter, for each activity to be carried out on site. Namely:

– municipal concessions and rents, energy utilities, supervision and cleaning of premises, supervisory and support staff.

Local federations recover costs incurred through the membership fee (exempt from direct and indirect taxes) paid by farmers interested in direct sales at ‘Campagna Amica’ markets. As well as, as will be seen, through a series of gabelle of various kinds.

The income statement is always loss-making and is therefore not ‘brokered’ by the federal government, as is the practice on profitable activities (thanks to generous public funding and farmer contributions. See footnote 1). This project-one of the most cherished, for the past decade or so, by chief Vincenzo Gesmundo-is in fact among the most disliked by regional and provincial directors, who suffer it at a loss and obtorto colloquially.

2) Consorzio Produttori di Campagna Amica Soc. Coop.

Instead, the Consortium of Campagna Amica Producers cooperative society should allow shopkeepers and public merchants to purchase goods from farmers registered in the Campagna Amica circuit. Through an IT platform created by Bluarancio SpA, one of the IT companies in the Coldiretti circuit. (2)

A short circuit, as the cooperative society’s IT management is a total flop and the project packaged in this way does not garner any interest from potential customers. The lost capital is being replenished by the National Confederation of Coldiretti for image purposes only, that is, so as not to reveal its failure to the few members who participate. The Campagna Amica Producers Consortium does not even have a general manager. Emerging only, like parsley, are the names of:

– Raffaele Grandolini, the Midas King of Coldiretti, and

– Monica Rispoli, the Kālī goddess of supervision, faithful chairperson of the Board of Auditors. (3)

Coldiretti – Impresa Verde – Campagna Amica, the example of Campania.

The conditions of farmers’ access to Campagna Amica markets are expressed in a ‘service contract‘ that Coldiretti Campania (4) – through its Impresa Verde Campania Srl – requires applicants to sign. Who, in order to sell in ‘yellow flag’ markets, are in other ways forced to:

– entrust Impresa Verde Campania Srl with all services related to their farms. VAT accounting, payroll accounting, CAA mandate, (5) etc. The costs of which, where related to the quality of services offered, are reported as ‘out of all market logic‘. In any case, evidently removed from any logic of competition,

– tolerate the claim of nonexistent services, sometimes billed as ‘varioustechnical‘, ‘various tax, documentation preparation‘, etc. In addition to the costs of attending markets, which Coldiretti defines at its sole discretion. From 2021, even, through an annual fee that sometimes exceeds 10 thousand euros/year.

Unfair trade practices

The documents acquired show the existence of contractual relationships (formal and informal) that were completely unfair and vexatious, suffered by farmers through the Coldiretti Campania – Impresa Verde Campania Srl – Campagna Amica Foundation triad. Moreover, the ‘service contract‘ assumes as implicit the osmosis between the three axes of which one (the foundation) has national scope. Therefore, it appears legitimate to suspect that the Campania case-in blatant violation of Article 62 of Law 24.3.12 no. 27 (6)-is not isolated.

Some key players in such affairs complain about unfair trade practices imposed by Coldiretti on farmers to join its sales channel. (7) Such practices among others, as noted above, transcend the commercial level. Because they postulate adherence to a parasitic system that drains resources from a wide variety of sources, starting with the subsidies in agriculture subject to the management of CAAs (Centers for Assistance in Agriculture).

A triad?

The amounts paid for participation in Campagna Amica markets in Campania appear to be collected sometimes by a corporation (Impresa Verde Coldiretti Srl), sometimes by one or more ‘union’ associations (Coldiretti Campania, or the relevant provincial federations).

Payments would be made through wire transfers, but also in cash. With possible transfers at will from for-profit to nonprofit and vice versa, including through nonexistent accounting transactions between various controlled entities, or fictitious supplies from compliant companies.

Dario Dongo

Notes

(1) Dario Dongo. Germina Campus, Coldiretti’s holding company speculating on farmers. #CleanSpades. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 6/13/21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/idee/germina-campus-la-holding-di-coldiretti-che-specula-sugli-agricoltori-vanghepulite

(2) Dario Dongo. Federconsorzi 2, CAI SpA, AgriRevi, Coldiretti. The jerk dinner. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 31.1.21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/idee/federconsorzi-2-cai-spa-agrirevi-coldiretti-la-cena-dei-cretini

(3) Dario Dongo. Subsidized insurance in agriculture, the big business of Coldiretti’s magic circle. #CleanSpades. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 1.3.21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/assicurazioni-agevolate-in-agricoltura-i-grandi-affari-del-cerchio-magico-di-coldiretti-vanghepulite

(4) On the ‘honorability’ of Coldiretti Campania president Salvatore Loffreda, see the previous article ‘Coldiretti and the golden calf, Sannio farmers up in arms. #CleanSpades’, 22.3.21, at https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/idee/coldiretti-e-il-vitello-d-oro-in-rivolta-gli-allevatori-del-sannio-vanghepulite

(5) Dario Dongo. TAR Lazio’s trio on CAAs. Freelancers readmitted. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 11.6.21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/tris-del-tar-lazio-sui-caa-riammessi-i-liberi-professionisti

(6) For further discussion see Dario Dongo’s freeebook, ‘Article 62, a revolution?‘, at https://ilfattoalimentare.it/ebook-articolo62

(7) Not surprisingly, Coldiretti has been working to disapply EU Directive 2019/633(Unfair Trading Practices, UTPs). See previous article ‘Unfair trade practices, double-down supply chain agreement‘, 7.3.21, at https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/pratiche-commerciali-sleali-accordo-di-filiera-al-doppio-ribasso. See also Coldiretti’s commercial activity at the expense of the Consorzi Agrari through its subsidiary Filiera Agricola Italiana SpA, in the article cited in footnote 1)

Dario Dongo
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Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.