A statement issued by this organization, along with the Italian branch, an organization that brings together farmers, agri-food companies, and distribution chains, points out that producers exporting to the EU should be subject to the same rules imposed on those in this regional community.

This principle, they state, should be applied to all agreements and all imported agricultural and agri-food products, to prohibit the entry into this region “of food produced with substances and techniques banned for years in our fields and farms.”

In this regard, Coldiretti and Filiera Italia emphasize in the document that the increase in border controls proposed last Wednesday by the European Commission to facilitate the signing of the agreement next week is insufficient.

They point out that currently, controls represent an average of approximately 3,0% of incoming goods, and that the proposed increase would raise them to only about 4,0 percentage points, “with risks to consumer health and compliance with production standards imposed on European farmers.”

Both organizations reiterated their demand that Rome be recognized as the headquarters of the European Customs Authority, considering that Italy “holds the European record in food safety.”

They reiterate their call to the Italian government to “immediately implement 100% controls on food originating from Mercosur and high-risk areas, in order to guarantee the full protection of citizens’ health and regulatory reciprocity with respect to European standards.”

abo/arm/mem/ort