(by Filippo Moreschi, lawyer and Head of the AIDR "Digital Agrifood" Observatory) In the recent Communication of 25 March 2021 (published on 31 March) addressed to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, the European Commission takes a clear position in favor of organic farming, considered central to the recovery, defined as “green and digital”, of the European economy from the consequences of the pandemic.
While keeping in mind that the organic production model is not the only model of sustainable agriculture, the Commission underlines how it unites the objectives of the European strategy for the protection of biodiversity and, especially through digital technology, translates the objectives of the strategy into practice " Farm to Fork ”, ie the complete traceability of agri-food products, from the producer to the consumer.
In addition, the Commission notes, organic farming guarantees better access to agricultural professions for the new generations and fights gender inequality better than traditional agriculture, offering more opportunities for women to run businesses in the agri-food world.
The development of organic farming in the European Union, which currently suffers from many differences from country to country, will take place on different tracks.
What is most interesting here is the path aimed at increasing the organic market, which contemplates a series of concrete actions aimed at stimulating demand, today extremely disorganized and schizophrenic from area to area. Among the various ways in which this objective can be achieved, the European Commission indicates at least two.
One is the enhancement of traceability. Here, as can be easily understood, new technologies come into play, from artificial intelligence, to blockchain, to all the solutions that can increase the transparency and traceability of organic products. The Commission expressly states that it is working towards a sort of "digital passport" of products.
The second path is related to the promotion and increase of consumer confidence in organic products and process certification, also through the enhancement of the logos on the label.
On this front, the Commission intends to increase, within the framework of the annual work programs, the budget dedicated to promotion and to stimulate the visibility of the sector.
But it would be wrong to think that the digital world is only functional to support organic products.
The Commission itself, in fact, with a communication also dated March 31, 2021, opened a public consultation on the future policy of promoting the agri-food products of the European Union, both in relation to the internal market and to non-EU countries.
The initiative starts from the Commission's report, dated 11 February 2021, on the evaluation of the application of Regulation no. 1144/2014, called "information and promotion actions regarding agricultural products carried out in the internal market and in third countries", and on supporting the competitiveness of the agrifood sector.
The consultation is aimed at discussing the prospects for reform of the regulation, also in light of the purposes of the so-called European Green Deal and the "caesura" represented by the pandemic emergency, which on the one hand entails the need to revive entire market sectors (on all the Ho.Re.Ca. channel) and which takes into account, on the other hand, the tumultuous consolidation of digital communication methods.
Well, in the final recommendations, the Commission recognizes the effectiveness not only of campaigns involving direct contact with consumers, but above all the importance of "product promotion by influencers on social media". This statement is all the more important if we keep in mind that, according to the Eurobarometer 2020, ie the survey on the theme "Europeans, agriculture and the Community agricultural policy", only a minimal percentage of respondents (between 14% and 20%) know the quality labels of the European Union, including the Designations of Origin (DO) and Geographical Indications (GI).
This data is surprising, if we consider the central role that the geographical, territorial and socio-environmental origin of agri-food products plays within the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Market Organization. In Community legislation and jurisprudence - but also in the internal one, if we think of the recent rulings of the Administrative Justice on the modification of the wine regulations of the DOC Sicily and of the IGT Terre Siciliane - the concepts of geographical origin, typicality and quality of the products are increasingly correlated and associates.
It is therefore possible to understand the great cultural work that European, national and local institutions will be called upon to carry out in the coming years on the subject, but also the decisive contribution that will come from individuals, individuals and associates, as well as from groups of producers and consumers. .
And to carry out these tasks, of protecting quality agri-food production and, at the same time, increasing consumer confidence, the digital transition must be.