LADISPOLI – The prices of agricultural products have remained “unchanged in the last 40 years” and “production costs have increased dramatically”. An “imbalance” which in the last two years, and now, for the third consecutive year, is causing a great “financial loss” for the sector which in recent months has decided to say enough and take to the streets, “armed” with tractors , to make one’s voice heard not only by national governments (from France to Germany, passing through Italy) but also by Europe. The Ladispola breeder, Gianfranco Fioravanti, also illustrated the difficulties of the sector at the conference promoted by Identità e Democracy, in Brussels, at the European Parliament. “We took to the streets to be listened to, to be understood,” he said in front of the audience. Fioravanti put the spotlight on the importance that agriculture has in daily life: from its “crucial” role in providing sustenance to citizens, to its role in “guarding the national landscape”. «Italy – continued Fioravanti – like Europe boasts a long history of high quality dairy production». «Livestock not only provides essential nourishment for the population, but also contributes to preserving the rural traditions and economy of agricultural communities». In short, the sector “represents a pillar of the agricultural economy in many regions” and offers a vast range of products (cheeses, yogurt, butter, parmesan, …) “which make Italy a leading nation in production” . It is therefore necessary for the breeder to protect and support this sector, “guaranteeing at the same time its global competitiveness and its long-term sustainability”. “It is essential – he said – to support this sector” which is now more than ever put into crisis by the “global market” where “agricultural products from other countries which do not guarantee either the quality or authenticity of the products” are placed. The spotlight is also on unfair competition with a “price disparity” which certainly “does not protect the health of the population”. For the Ladispola breeder it is therefore necessary, to preserve and protect an important sector of collective life, “the control and respect of prices” without being “stepped over” by the “dictates of large-scale distribution”. We therefore return to raising the question of the “right price”, “fair compensation”. A battle that can be won by “fighting unfair competition practices, applying the laws” and above all with “legislation that favors the use of agricultural raw materials with a precise indication of the origins of the products, to avoid deception measures”. «Agriculture – Fioravanti said again – must be capable of mediating between nature and the human community, with commitments and obligations in both directions. Cultivating well requires conscious consideration for all creatures, animate and inanimate, and until man has learned to respect them he will never be able to know his true role on this earth.” Because “food”, he concluded, “comes from the earth, not from the laboratories of multinationals”.
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Tags: Finally talking agriculture
