The minister we want in Agriculture, Food and Forestry is not Teresa Bellanova. Neither are other members of Italia Morta, already distinguished by unconditional support:
– to the demands of the Big 4 (the global pesticide and seed monopolists), with draft legislative decrees aimed at introducing new GMOs (so-called NBTs) in Italy and banning the reuse and exchange of seeds by farmers.
– to pressure from backward industries to delay the implementation of
Sugar Tax
e
Plastic Tax
. In addition to introducing the ridiculous Nutrinform battery system to mask the dangers of junk food.
Independence and oversight of Coldiretti
The new minister must be independent of Coldiretti and first shed light on the‘Federconsorzi 2’ operation, Consorzi Agrari d’Italia (CAI) SpA. Where a business committee manages public resources and agricultural consortiums to make personal and family profits through a system of Chinese boxes flowing into CAI SpA and BF SpA.
It is necessary to activate CONSOB and Antitrust investigations into the numerous violations of law and conflicts of interest that have emerged in the system of companies, consortia and cooperatives controlled by Coldiretti.
AGEA’s outlawed agreement with Coldiretti’s Agricultural Assistance Center (CAA), to the detriment of other CAAs and industry professionals, must be cancelled immediately. And AGEA director Gabriele Papa Pagliardini, guilty of a shameful conflict of interest smelling of corruption and abuse of office, should be removed from office.
Unfair trade practices
It is imperative and urgent to transpose in Italy the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (EU dir. 2019/633), aimed at balancing the imbalance of bargaining power in favor of large retailers and large processors, to the detriment of their suppliers. This directive must be transposed by 1.5.21 and effectively implemented by 1.11.21.
Ecological transition
Public funding related to the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy), the Green Deal and the Recovery Fund (now the
Next Generation EU
) must be tied to a true ecological transition, which in agriculture can only materialize through conversion to the organic system. Without diverting ‘green’ contributions to greenwashing practices that do not involve the elimination of pesticides and agrochemicals.
Peasant eco-agriculture must gain full recognition in every European, national and local policy. And get in turn the incentives needed to recover compromised or abandoned ecosystems. In strategies
Farm to Fork
and Biodiversity to 2030, on 20.5.20, the European Commission stated that it wants to halve the use of pesticides and other agrotoxics in agriculture and stimulate organic production to reach 25 percent of the UAA (Utilized Agricultural Area) in the EU. Except it itself predicts that these goals will not be achieved, partly due to the lack of public support.
Food origin
It is then necessary to stimulate the European Commission to follow up on the European consumer initiative #EatORIGINal! Unmask your food! Therefore, introduce mandatory indication of product origin and the provenance of primary ingredients on all foods.
In Italy, as per the French example, the mandatory indication of origin should then be extended to meat of all species and fish served by communities. This is the only way to foster the development of livestock supply chains that are fair, sustainable and respectful of animal welfare.
Dario Dongo
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
