The first experimental “Tea” rice field in Lomellina has been destroyed: last night unknown persons, after tampering with the surveillance camera and tearing up the protective metal mesh, cut and uprooted the seedlings. Councilor Beduschi: “Criminal act”.
The first experimental “Tea” rice field destroyed
The TEA rice experimental fieldhosted at the Cascina Erbatici a Mezzana Bigliwas completely destroyed this night by unknown persons who, after having tampered with the surveillance camera and torn down the metal protection mesh, have cut and uprooted the seedlings. The news was given by the regional councilor for Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Alessandro Beduschi.
The TEA (Assisted Evolution Techniques)thanks to genetic improvement (non-GMO) allow you to obtain plants more resistant to diseases And more suitable to also deal with the effects of climate change, reducing the use of pesticides and pesticides and rationalizing the use of water. Lombardy had started it right in Mezzana Bigli first experimentation of the University of Milan of these techniquesto test the response of plants to the fungus responsible for the disease known as ‘brusone’.
“Criminal gesture”
“We are not talking about – comments Beduschi – an act of vandalism. It is a criminal act, which compromises an experiment that we were the first in Italy to launch with an important political effort and by combining the best scientific expertise on the subject. There are no comments to condemn the gesture of those who, thinking of destroying a small 28 square meter field, blocked years of studies that could finally be applied in concrete terms.”
“Having said that obviously this uncivilized gesture will not stop us – continues councilor Beduschi – it is clear that they will come immediately submit the appropriate complaints so that we can clarify what happened.”
“A criminal, uncivilized and violent act – states the senator Luca De Carlopresident of the Senate Agriculture Committee – and a sign of profound ignorance, also the result of a distorted propaganda. An act that however will not stop us and will not even stop the necessary scientific progress. We will relaunch with even greater strength because the challenge of feeding the nation and producing more and better will certainly not stop in the face of a few criminals.”
“We are assisting – he adds Maria Pia AbbracchioVice Rector of the University of Milan with responsibility for the coordination and promotion of research – to a regurgitation of obscurantist and anti-scientific violence which as a State University we have no intention of tolerating. This episode causes incalculable damage not only to the researcher involved, not only to her project, but to the entire scientific community and citizens all of whom are the primary stakeholders in the work carried out by our university. The work of our scientists, their goal of developing more sustainable cultivation for the benefit of all will resume and continue with even greater conviction and commitment.”
“The RIS8imo experimental field – they conclude Vittoria Brambilla and Fabio Fornaraprofessors at the University of Milan and responsible for the research – had been developed with Assisted Evolution Techniques (TEA) at the State University of Milan, with the aim of contribute to reducing the use of fungicides, with a view to sustainable and quality agriculture, an innovation necessary to face the challenges of agriculture today and tomorrow. As public scientists we express shock and sadness at having suffered unjustified violence, the result of obscurantism and anti-scientific impulses.”
Confagricoltura: “Very serious episode”
Confagricoltura also condemned the episode and stated in a note:
Confagricoltura vcondemn the act of vandalism which destroyed the experimental TEA rice field in the Cascina Erbatici company in Mezzana Bigli, in the province of Pavia. A very serious episodegiven that the first Italian experimentation dedicated to assisted evolution techniques to make them more resistant to climate changes and plant diseases.
The Confederation expresses its solidarity with Federico Radice Fossatia far-sighted entrepreneur and historic partner, who had made his land available to host the sowing of a rice capable of resisting Brusone, thanks to genomic research resulting from work carried out for years with the University of Milan.
The act of vandalism goes far beyond the act itself, since compromises the path of scientific researcha fundamental experiment for Italian agriculture, aimed at find solutions to climate change and plant diseases which affect entire productions.
Hundred: “Criminals will not stop Tea research”
“The cowardly criminals who destroyed the rice field in the province of Pavia, where the Tea experimentation was underway, do not delude themselves: the research will not stop. The institutions, politics, universities and companies that look to the future will work together even more to guarantee Italy a cutting-edge role in the modernization of agriculture”, this is what the vice president of the Senate Gian Marco Centinaiohead of the Agriculture and Tourism department of the League.
“My solidarity goes to the Lombardy Region, the University of Milan and others Federico Radici Fossati, the owner of the vandalized Mezzana Bigli business. Their collaboration is an example for everyone and I am sure that they will not be discouraged by this which is just a bad accident in a path of modernity and development”, continues Centinaio.
“Who still opposes, even with these criminal methods, the experimentation of Assisted Evolution Techniques he understood nothing of the importance of this research and its safety. If we seriously want to combat the effects of climate change on agriculture, starting with drought, and want to reduce the use of pesticides, this is the way to go. So cI will personally continue to support it with my parliamentary activityas I have already done so far”, concludes the Lega senator.
