Coldiretti raided the Cagliari prefecture and filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office against counterfeit Made in Italy products.
Thousands of farmers in yellow T-shirts took to the streets in Sardinia and across Italy to demand an end to the maneuvers of "real traffickers" who are driving down the prices of extra virgin olive oil and wheat. Activists flocked to the Castello neighborhood of Sardinia with signs explaining the reasons for the discontent and protests: from "We defend real extra virgin olive oil" to "Whoever drives down the price of wheat is driving down Italy." They then met with the prefect to convey the island's farmers' demands and grievances to Rome. A national demonstration, but one that takes on a special significance in Sardinia.
"Oil and wheat are the symbols of the Mediterranean and Sardinian diets," explained President Battista Cualbu. "It's unthinkable that we continue to pay our producers for them well below production costs. We finally have a law that allows us to carry out checks and sanction those who don't follow the rules. Therefore, we must stop the traffickers of glyphosate-laced wheat and oil imported from Tunisia. And that, just because it undergoes the final processing, becomes Italian. We're not angry with anyone in particular, but with all those who disrespect producers and consumers. We can't continue to operate at a loss."
A complaint is ready: "There is a need to carry out checks," he added. "Our producers, who act honestly and transparently, have no reason to have any difficulty making themselves available to carry out checks with the utmost transparency. Anyone caught committing this type of fraud cannot get away with a ridiculous fine; they must be severely penalized so that this type of crime is not repeated in the future."
Coldiretti director Luca Saba also took the offensive: "We are here in twelve Italian prefectures and regional capitals to explain and ask the prefects to convey to the government the need for 100% inspection of Made in Italy products and 100% inspection of production costs to ensure our producers receive a fair price. In Sardinia, we produce approximately 30,000 hectares of wheat. We believe in an all-Sardinian supply chain, not only for pasta but especially for our signature products like carasau bread ."
Extra virgin olive oil is a prime example: "Over the past year, the product's price has plummeted by 50%, while costs borne by domestic producers have increased by over €200 per hectare, according to the Divulga Research Center. How is this possible? To understand the deception, just look at the numbers. Official data from the supply chain show that Italy produces approximately 234 million liters of extra virgin olive oil, a figure that could be further revised downward with stricter controls, compared to domestic consumption of 461 million liters, exports of 318 million liters, and imports of a staggering 545 million liters annually. The numbers don't add up ," Coldiretti emphasizes, "because there are those who falsify the origin, deceiving citizens and farmers, also hiding behind the latest substantial transformation of the customs code, which must be abolished for all foods."
Hence Coldiretti's requests contained in the document submitted to the prefects: "Increase inspections and stop origin fraud with innovative controls. Magnetic resonance imaging and isotopic mapping can clearly identify a product's origin and must be usable as evidence in court. Always enforce the law against unfair practices and sales below production cost. Mixing extra virgin olive oil with heat-treated by-products that magically become extra virgin must also be banned. Mandatory invoicing of olives is necessary for complete product traceability. We also need to suspend zero-duty oil from Tunisia and halt the inward processing trade (IPT) mechanism on foreign oil, a further source of fraud."
(Unioneonline/D)
