An extraordinarily important supply chain worth around 15 billion with almost 3 billion in exports, and which represents one of the fundamental axes of agri-food Made in Italy. To whose members, although not physically present, the Minister Teresa Bellanova wanted to send her greetings today in Milan at the Dairy Summit, the appointment dedicated to the general states of the sector.
A supply chain that shows how much Made in Italy means commitment, passion, history of production, transformation, distribution companies, and often also successful integration.
It is no coincidence that the Minister's greeting was inspired by the recent tragedy on the farm of Arena Po 'for a thought to the relatives' of the four people who died at work. A successful integration page has turned into a tragedy that had to be absolutely avoided. We must effectively guarantee an inalienable right such as the right to work safety. My commitment on this front will be absolute and I believe that to achieve the result we need serious investments on training and an alliance of the whole chain ".
"I await with interest", continued Minister Bellanova, "to receive the commitments of the Milk Card. It is already anticipated from now on the intention to shortly convene the dairy chain to the Ministry for a moment of sharing of objectives and operational actions.
I am thinking of the need to strengthen relations between farmers and processors, also through the instrument of agreements and supply chain contracts. To the work to be done on the value chain, also by contrasting unfair practices with the implementation of the European directive which saw Paolo De Castro as the fundamental protagonist, with whom I was able to confront myself on this issue. On the opportunity announced by Commissioner Hogan of a European price transparency system. The very important issue of traceability and labeling of origin that has seen the Italian dairy sector at the forefront of transparency. The more information is given to the consumer, the stronger the relationship with the producer becomes and on this path we must make progress at European level. Using the label to approach consumers, provide them with useful and undistorted elements as in the case of traffic light labels ”.
Thus, urgencies on the international front. "We need", Minister Bellanova remarked in conclusion, "to face the markets aware of our values and with the right tools to defend them. We must fake forgery and counterfeit. Our cheeses are among the most imitated in the world and every pack of Parmesan, mozzarilla or cambozola sold is an identity theft to Italy. We need to increase our exports to see the quality of authentic Made in Italy products recognized ”. And those on the internal level “to tackle the drop in consumption with system work. Investing in innovation, research, animal welfare, production sustainability. And communicate more and better. Those who know me ", concluded the Minister," know of my personal commitment against fake news and I believe that there is a need for clarity also in the milk sector. Moments like today's help also in this direction ".