Who will establish that meat is produced from “sustainable farming”?
According to the decree on the establishment of the National Livestock Quality System (Sqnz), the "product from sustainable breeding" label came into force on 1 January 2023 for those foods that derive from virtuous practices in terms of animal welfare, but here where are we?
The “product from sustainable breeding” label will go on from 1 January, according to the ministerial decree of 16 December last. The decree, precisely, because that exists but the label is not. To have it, certifying bodies and a specification that defines the requirements would be needed. At the moment, however, they all seem absent from the appeal.
WHAT THE LABELING DECREE SAYS
Following the approval in the State-Regions Conference, on 16 December last year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (Masaf) led by Minister Francesco Lollobrigida issued ministerial decree no. 646632 establishing the National Zootechnical Quality System (Sqnz) on the basis of EU delegated regulation 126 of 2022.
This decree replaces the one of 4 March 2011 and authorizes the label "product from sustainable breeding" on foods that derive from virtuous practices in terms of animal welfare and rural development program (PSR).
WHAT IS THE SQNZ FOR?
The objective of the Sqnz is to identify a specificity of the final product in terms of specific product characteristics, particular production methods or a quality of the final product significantly exceeding current commercial standards in terms of public health, plant and animal health, welfare of animals or environmental protection. Furthermore, it ensures complete traceability of the products.
BECAUSE THE DECREE IS THERE BUT THE LABEL IS NOT
According to insiders, however, both a disciplinary on "sustainable farms" and a clear procedure for obtaining this new certification are missing.
As explained to Sole24Ore by Chiara Caprio, head of institutional relations of Being animals, "as regards the decree on the national quality system for livestock we can only highlight a basic inconsistency, which surprises us a lot considering the work done instead on the certification proposal National animal welfare quality system advanced by the Ministry and already problematic in itself".
“There is talk in the media of a disciplinary 'sustainable farms' and it is difficult to comment in the absence of official sharing, but as far as what emerges, the parameters nor the process that should lead to this umpteenth certification are not clear. The aim – continues Caprio – should instead be that of an understandable communication for consumers, but above all that of really raising the standards of animal welfare in Italy, communicating not only with technicians inside the ministry, but also with experts and associations who work daily on the subject in Italy".
WHAT THE DISCIPLINARY DECREE SAYS
The production specifications, as stated in the decree, must be drawn up according to the Guidelines indicated in Annex I, recognized and authorized by the Ministry which assesses whether they satisfy the conditions of the decree.
“The production specifications are associated with a specific control plan, compliance with which is verified by a control authority/body. Those pertaining to the quality systems recognized and authorized by the Regions can be recognized and authorized as production specifications pertaining to the SQNZ at the request of the region that recognized them. […] The SQNZ Commission, set up at the Ministry, is the body in charge of evaluating the specifications”.
THE PREVIOUSLY APPROVED PRODUCTION SPECIFICATIONS
The only production regulations approved and recognized so far, which referred to the previous decree of 4 March 2011, and which allow producers to protect, communicate and make their zootechnical products identifiable are "Vitellone and/or Scottona with cereals", "Fassona Piedmontese breed", "Egg + Quality with cereals", "Podolian cattle on pasture" and "Sustainable aquaculture".
THE (PENDING) PROPOSAL OF ITALIA ZOOTECHNICA
Among the requests for recognition that have remained pending , the latest is that of Italia Zootecnica in November 2021 regarding a disciplinary "sustainable farms". The goal was already that of establishing a certification that guaranteed the Italian spirit and the quality of the products coming from those farms that voluntarily undertook to guarantee virtuous practices, better than the standards already established by law, for the environment, animals and workers too.
WHERE DOES THE MEAT WE EAT COME FROM?
The farmers who are pushing to make the proposal of a new label concrete, writes Il Sole24Ore , aim to increase the consumption of made in Italy meat but also the resulting yield if the quality is raised: "To date, in fact, only 9 % of the beef produced in Italy bears the IGP denomination: Chianina, Marche, Romagna, Piedmontese. The remaining 91% of the meat produced in our country, the AOP Italia Zootecnica recalls, is marketed anonymously by producers and slaughterers, it does not have a brand, and it becomes difficult for the consumer to recognize it. Furthermore, today we import over 48% of the beef consumed, in practice one steak out of two is not produced in Italy”.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/economia/chi-stabilira-che-la-carne-e-prodotta-da-allevamento-sostenibile/ on Tue, 10 Jan 2023 11:24:49 +0000.