On the occasion of the periodic meeting of the Board of Directors, held in recent days at the headquarters in via Piave, the president of Confagricoltura Cosenza Paola Granata intended to define what are the priority themes for Cosenza and Italian agriculture as the elections for the renewal of the European Parliament, whose voting operations will be on 8 and 9 June.
The provincial and regional agricultural sector, he stated, has always been involved in complex challenges since the ordinary and extraordinary difficulties linked to the territory are added to those deriving from an extremely unfavorable geopolitical and macroeconomic context. Climatic variations, which at the moment concern the absence of atmospheric precipitation and the increase in seasonal temperatures; the emergency linked to wildlife, which in addition to wild boars now also involves attacks on flocks by wolves; the inadequacy of connections are issues that affect and negatively affect the work of local agricultural entrepreneurs.
Furthermore, the recent protest movements that have occurred in Italy and other European Union countries – and also in our province – have highlighted a situation of suffering that has involved all sectors of agriculture and the agri-food industry. In this context, precisely outlined during the meeting and shared by the UPA leadership, it is more urgent and necessary than ever for the parliamentarians who will govern Europe in the next legislature to take on board the demands of the agri-food world, ensuring balanced coexistence between environmental and economic sustainability.
Confagricoltura Cosenza therefore acts as spokesperson for the sector by launching an appeal to the candidates for the European elections, indicating some priority points on which to intervene:
– Rethinking Community Agricultural Policy: it is necessary to align the ambitions of agricultural policy, a central sector in the challenge of the ecological transition, with the tools available to farmers. The future CAP will have to restore direct transfers to agricultural production based on the evolution of prices at source and the stability of incomes.
– Reviewing the “Green Deal”: we need a change in regulations – nature restoration, industrial emissions, packaging directive and nitrates directive – to allow environmental protection, the protection of natural resources and biodiversity to coexist with the safeguarding of production levels. Environmental sustainability cannot be pursued to the detriment of farmers who are its primary guardians.
– Improve the trade agreements with third countries: the European market must be open only to products obtained in compliance with European standards on food safety, environmental protection, labor protection and animal welfare.
Confagricoltura Cosenza’s hope is that the candidates take on board the requests of agricultural entrepreneurs, an expression of a sector of fundamental importance for our territory and for the entire country.
