- 04/12/2016
- Posted by: Marta
- Categories: Insights, News
After the passionate debate on the draft reform of the Constitution, the time has come for politicians and public administrators to return to dealing with the priority needs of the Italian agri-food chain and its consumers.
Proposals to amend the constitutional charter, as we have already explained (1), implied the recovery by the State of exclusive legislation on crucial matters for the 'Made in Italy' of the sector. In particular with regard to health and food safety (previously registered in concurrent legislation), foreign trade and the protection - which is accompanied by promotion - of competition. In addition to the environment and ecosystem, as well as the general and common provisions on territorial governance.
Some aspects that fall within the aforementioned subjects must however be addressed as soon as possible, to safeguard our production chains and the health of consumers. Here are some brief ideas.
1) Food safety. Before the Eurosceptic storms of recent years, the European legislator was able to effectively standardize the set of rules governing the hygiene and safety of processes and products (2). Since the new system is based on criteria expressed in general terms, the Member States have had room to derive detailed interpretations at the local level which - in Italy - have received detailed variations in the regional context.
The training obligations of nutritionists they have progressively eliminated and replaced, in each Region, the so-called health card. And yet they are so varied and different as to affect not only costs and therefore also the conditions of competitiveness. And workers risk being unsuitable every time they move a few kilometers, even just for seasonal work.
The training requirements of the FBOs and the evaluation criteria of the self-control plans (GAP, GMP, GHP and HACCP, as appropriate), in turn, vary significantly. This implies, among other things, an inevitable asymmetry of food security levels along the Peninsula. Which at this rate will tend to worsen, when the government finally deigns to establish the sanctions for the violation of the rules introduced by the 'Food Information Regulation ' (3).
A 'driving license' for public businesses should be introduced, applying homogeneous criteria throughout Italy, to ensure effective understanding and knowledge - by aspiring baristas, restaurateurs and managers of supply companies (as well as preparation and sale) - of the cornerstones of food safety, which today among the other must include a specific management of the so-called allergens and the respective information (4).
Home slaughter it must also be traced back to a unitary approach, which must be drastically rigorous. As has been highlighted several times (5), pursuing the whim of rural particularities rather than ritual slaughtering presents unacceptable costs both for the health service, so distracted from its primary tasks, and for the safety of food of animal origin. Not to mention animal welfare (which the European legislator has taken care to ensure scrupulously even in the last phase of life) and clandestine slaughterhouses, which can flourish among the folds of such exceptions.
2) Foreign trade. If ever competing regional legislation could really push towards the goal, we would have applauded the agreements between Rosario Crocetta and Michele Emiliano on the one hand, Vladimir Putin on the other, for the supply of Mediterranean food to the Russian people. And both would have benefited so much (6). Unfortunately, however, this power or other hypotheses of commercial agreements between individual Italian regions and other countries did not even appear.
The export of Italian 'food & drink'if anything, it could be promoted through effective coordination of national and local initiatives (Regions, Provinces, Municipalities) on foreign markets which in any capacity draw public contributions. And since the concept of 'control room' for almost a century assigned to ICE, now ITA, has not so far been enough to connect the countless 'expeditions' - or opening and maintenance of representative offices - of local administrations abroad, a rule must be established.
The wasteful and ineffective initiatives particularities always and in any case fall on public budgets. That is to say, on the tax burden of all for the sole possible benefit of a very few. And above all, without any coordination whatsoever.
The digitization of businesses it remains a purely abstract concept, increasingly considering that almost all of the 'Made in Italy' food websites do not know other languages than Italian and English, with very few exceptions (7). Thus completely ignoring the overt reality of the BRICs, where 1,4 billion consumers of the leading global economic power - whose middle class borders on the total number of European citizens - read Mandarin.
Passed the hangover of the referrenzium, after 8 months of abundant libations, it is therefore necessary to roll up our sleeves and act concretely to relaunch the country-system of all, Guelphs and Ghibellines, starting from its primary production sector which deserves the interventions in the areas described above and many others - on innovation and sustainable development (8), enhancement of integrated supply chains on the territory (9) and of 'organic' (10), fight against illegal hiring (11) and the underground economy - for the relaunch of an agro-industrial policy trace has been lost since the days of the IRI.
Dario Dongo
Note
(2) See the so-called 'General Food Law' (EC Reg. 178/02) and 'Hygiene Package' (EC Reg. 852, 853, 854, 882/04 and following)
(3) EU Reg. 1169/11, see http://www.ilfattoalimentare.it/sanzioni-ministero-sviluppo-economico.html
(4) https://foodagriculturerequirements.com/europa-allergeni-nei-pubblici-esercizi-il-memento-del-min-sal/, http://www.ilfattoalimentare.it/allergeni-cartello-unico-bar-mense-ristoranti.html
(5) https://foodagriculturerequirements.com/macellazione-a-domicilio-pulp-legislation-in-valle-daosta/, http://www.ilfattoalimentare.it/macellazione-valle-daosta.html
(6) Faced with the serious damage suffered by the Italian agro-industry due to the sudden sanctions inflicted on Russia, cf. http://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/notizie-gift/sanzioni-russia-danni-italia
(7) It is cited for example http://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.com, perhaps the only site in 8 languages dedicated to Italian 'food & drink'
(8) See http://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/notizie-gift/agricoltura-italiana-più-green
(10) See http://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/notizie-gift/biologico-italiano-record
(11) Cf. https://foodagriculturerequirements.com/contrasto-allo-sfruttamento-del-lavoro-in-agricoltura/, http://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/food-times-blog/coop-presenta-buonigiusti-l-ortofrutta-non-è-mai-stata-così-pulita
