On the proposal of President Paolo Gentiloni as Minister for Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, the Council of Ministers approved, in definitive examination, two legislative decrees that, in implementation of the law on the simplification, rationalization and competitiveness of the agricultural sectors and agri-food sector (28 law July 2016, No. 154), introduce rules on the reorganization of competences in the system of disbursement of the Community aid to which the Agency for agricultural disbursements (AGEA) and the system of accredited paying agencies are responsible; as well as cultivation, harvesting and first processing of medicinal plants.
Below are the main provisions of the two decrees.
- Reorganization of the Agency for disbursements in agriculture (AGEA)
Reorganization of the Agency for disbursements in agriculture (AGEA) and reorganization of the control system in the agri-food sector, in implementation of the 15 article 28 law July 2016, n. 154
The decree, in implementation of the 15 law of the delegated law and in line with the new common agricultural policy 2014-2020, provides for the reorganization of the Agency for disbursements in agriculture (AGEA), in order to make it more responsive to the specific needs of the sector and to ensure the achievement of different objectives:
- improve the quality of services provided to agricultural businesses;
- rationalize and contain spending;
- increase the efficiency of the payment system;
- review and optimize the model of coordinating paying agencies at regional level;
- review the current management system of SIAN (National Agricultural Information System);
- optimizing access to information, through the creation of an IT platform that allows a stronger integration between the regional structures and the central structure.
Finally, the decree aims to ensure in a more structured and clear manner the separation between the functions of the Coordinating Body and the Paying Agency assigned to the AGEA.
- Medicinal plants
Consolidated text on the cultivation, harvesting and initial processing of medicinal plants pursuant to Article 5 of the 28 Law July 2016, n. 154
The decree, pursuant to article 5 of the delegated law, constitutes the new Consolidated Act on the cultivation, harvesting and first processing of medicinal plants.
The text adopts the conclusions of the Table of supply chain of medicinal plants, established in 2013, and, taking into account the European regulations, adapts the current legislation giving a new structure to the sector, so as to encourage growth and development and enhance the national productions, while ensuring greater transparency and knowledge to the final consumer.
In particular, the decree:
- provides a new definition of officinal plants, also providing for the establishment of varietal registers of medicinal plant species, in which the officinal plants listed for marketing are listed and the methods and conditions for seed certification are established;
- clarifies unequivocally that the cultivation, harvesting and first processing of medicinal plants are considered to all effects agricultural activities;
- regulates the spontaneous collection, so as to avoid the depletion of areas destined to this and to encourage greater knowledge of the areas, plants and the environment in which they develop;
- establishes that, by decree of the Minister of Agricultural Food and Forestry Policies, in agreement with the Permanent Conference for Relations between the State, Regions and Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano, the Sector Plan of the supply chain of officinal plants, which is the strategic planning tool aimed at identifying priority interventions to improve the conditions of production and initial transformation of medicinal plants, in order to encourage the development of an integrated supply chain from the environmental point of view, to define forms of aggregation professional and interprofessional able to create profitability conditions for the agricultural enterprise and to coordinate research in the sector;
- provides, for the Regions, the possibility of establishing, in compliance with European Union legislation, trademarks aimed at certifying compliance with quality standards in the supply chain of medicinal plants.
The text has obtained the favorable opinion of the Council of State, enhances and takes into account the indications of the competent parliamentary committees and the observations of the Unified Conference, as well as, for the part concerning the establishment of "Collective labels for the identification of medicinal plants" certify compliance with quality standards in the medicinal plant supply chain, which is a technical regulation as it contains provisions whose compliance is mandatory de jure, of the opinion of the European Commission.