The Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies announces that Minister Maurizio Martina participated today in the Council of European Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers. Among the items on the agenda: the debate on the new Common Agricultural Policy and international trade in agricultural products, with particular attention to the current and future free trade negotiations undertaken by the European Union.
“We are facing a great change, which is necessary to meet the demands of citizens and farmers. We therefore need a simpler Common Agricultural Policy - says Minister Maurizio Martina - which protects the income of those who work in this sector, giving them concrete answers, and which also takes into account the climate challenges and food security, two crucial issues on which we must keep attention. The more restrictive rules that European farmers are called to respect regarding the environment, health and animal welfare, without considering human rights and job safety, are now perceived as a set of constraints that only translate into higher costs. A production system based on more virtuous rules must instead be enhanced, making the entire production process transparent and traceable: from the territory of origin of the products to the production methods, passing through transformation, up to marketing. Issues that can be solved with common rules on the mandatory labeling of the origin of agricultural raw materials, as already done by Italy. "
On the commercial agreements front: “They are an extremely important tool - concludes Martina - for opening new markets and giving opportunities to our producers. But we need the right rules. Our priority is to protect sensitive products, and our Geographical Indications. Failure to recognize or partially protect Ig can create enormous penalties for quality European productions and nullify the positive effects of the opening of new markets ”.