Italian Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida commissions two strategic public agencies for the agribusiness sector (CREA and ISMEA), confirms support for new GMOs (or NGTs, New Genomic Techniques) and even distances himself from ancient grains. What ‘food sovereignty’?
1) CREA and ISMEA, the new commissioners.
Decree Law April 22, 2023 no. 44, ‘Urgent provisions for strengthening the administrative capacity of public administrations,’ introduced drastic reforms of two public agencies serving the Ministry of Agriculture, ISMEA (Institute of Agricultural Food Market Services) and CREA (Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics). Commissioning, direct appointment by the Minister of Agriculture of the three members of the Board, statutory reform. (1) Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida thus appointed two extraordinary commissioners:
– for ISMEA, lawyer Livio Proietti, former coordinator of Movimento Sociale Italiano and Alleanza Nazionale in the province of Rome, former MP, former board member of Sviluppo Italia and of the disastrous ISA (Istituto per lo Sviluppo dell’Agroalimentare),
– at CREA Professor Mario Pezzotti, professor of Agricultural Genetics at the University of Verona and manager of the Research and Innovation Center at the Edmund Mach Foundation. A great expert on NGTs(New Genomic Techniques), or new GMOs. (2)
2) Ancient grains, differing opinions
Ancient grains and the spelt that is part of them have made it possible to enhance agroecology, even in disadvantaged rural areas, and the Italian gastronomic tradition. (3) International consumers show appreciation for these 100% Made in Italy products, which in fact express interesting growth potential.
The book ‘Our bread. Ancient grains, flours and other lies‘ by Luigi Cattivelli, director of CREA’s Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics Research, however, rails against any prospect of sustainable development based on agroecology and ancient grains. Making largely scientifically questionable assumptions.
The dialectic between the guardians of biodiversity and those who believe that genetic engineering can save the world is nothing new and indeed it is good to continue so that every citizen can get an idea about the possible effects of two antithetical agrifood systems. Also in the light of the experiences between pesticides and GMOs designed to resist them. (4)
3) Ancient grains, the institutional attack.
The newly appointed CREA extraordinary commissioner organized the presentation of the book ‘Our bread. Ancient grains, flours and other lies‘, July 13, 2023, at the headquarters of the public body. The frontal attack on ancient grains has transcended from the level of a book author’s personal opinion to that of the position of the leadership of the Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics:
– newly appointed commissioner Mario Pezzotti congratulated himself for dedicating his first public engagement in CREA with the presentation of ‘a work that succeeds in combining history, genetics, evolution and correct scientific information about wheat in an engaging way.’
– CREA’s press release follows its words ‘assuming that modern [di frumento] varieties are better than ancient ones‘ and ‘in the processed product (bread, pasta, etc.) flavor and smell depend on the processing process and not on the raw material used.’ (5)
4) The minister of agriculture pro-GMO and against ancient grains.
Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture of the Italian Republic, spoke at the first public event of the newly appointed CREA extraordinary commissioner he appointed to celebrate the book, stating the following.
‘A very useful book for policy makers like me to be able to correct the mistakes into which the consuming public is led, but also an opportunity to learn about the history of an exceptional product that has evolved thanks to technology.’
The ‘mistakes people are being led into‘ to which the minister refers-assuming he has had a chance to read the book and consult the literature, as well as market data-would concern the valorization of ancient grains. (6)
Minister Lollobrigida’s agro-industrial policy is thus inspired by research, with the confidence to find ‘those solutions to implement a strategy that increases production and can also be put at the service of developing countries,’ with ‘technology applied to our agriculture. The new GMOs, indeed.
5) The pro-GMO echo of the Italian Parliament.
Luca De Carlo of Fratelli d’Italia is himself a staunch supporter of the new GMOs. In fact, the 9th Senate Committee-Agriculture and Agribusiness Production-which he chaired acclaimed the open-field testing of NGTs (or NBTs, or TEAs whatever). The senator in turn spoke at the CREA event, saying that ‘this book opens up a world about truth and against fake news: a great country like ours does not need to tell lies about its products.’ (5) What truths, what ‘fake news‘?
The rhetoric of ‘genetic improvement’ has also been taken up in recent years in Argentina and Brazil. Where once again-with the false narrative of drought resistance and higher production-a GMO wheat variety resistant to the reproductively toxic herbicide glufosinate ammonium has been introduced. (8) But European consumers do not seem inclined to buy pasta from GMO wheat, which is why Big Ag lobbies aim to hide the presence of the new GMOs on food labels. (2) What does Made in Italy have to do with it?
6) Interim Conclusions
The indifference to the environmental, often also economic, sustainability of the agronomic practices required to grow wheat varieties that demand more and more fertilizers and pesticides has already wreaked havoc on our homegrown cereal industry. Unsustainable costs have caused the loss of 400,000 hectares of durum wheat cultivated areas, in Italy, over the past 20 years.
Italy will never be able to compete on durum wheat volumes and prices with Canada, the U.S. and Australia. Our only salvation lies in distinctive identity and quality, all the better when associated with organic production and the cultivation of native grains. Ancient grains have adapted to their territories over the centuries and retain traits of environmental sustainability and quality characteristics that are in many ways better than new varieties.
Consideration should then begin to be given to tapping into the genetic heritage of indigenous grains to make wheat varieties that are kind to the environment and our health. To persist in the pursuit of increased yields alone, neglecting the amount of chemical inputs in agriculture that are associated with it, is institutionalized suicide.
Dario Dongo and Paolo Caruso
Notes
(1) Law June 23, 2023 no. 74, conversion with amendments of DL 44/23, Article 23.3-bis https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2023/06/21/23A03641/sg
(2) Dario Dongo. New GMOs, NGTs. The European Commission’s deregulation proposal.. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 4.7.23
(3) Dario Dongo, Paolo Caruso. Pasta sustainability, ancient and modern grains compared. Scientific study. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 5.11.19
(4) Dario Dongo, Donato Ferrucci. Pesticides, acute toxicity in the US agricultural system. Scientific study. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 25.8.19
(5) Wheat: the role of research in supporting innovation and promoting correct information and more informed choices is crucial. https://tinyurl.com/2p8svd99 CREA. Press release 13.7.23
(6) Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, for once, seems not to have consulted Coldiretti. Whose former Emilia Romagna director Mauro Tonelli-now president of S.I.S. (Società Italiana Sementi) Srl, a subsidiary of Bonifiche Ferraresi SpA-states that the Senatore Cappelli cultivar is counted among the ‘ancient grains’ (although its selection took place only in the last century). The website of ‘The Seasons of Italy,’ operated by BF Agro-Industrial S.r.l. (a subsidiary of BF SpA) even attributes ‘proven’ ‘high digestibility’ to this wheat, much to the chagrin of the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation (EC) No 1924/06. V. Ancient Senatore Cappelli wheat returns to the table. https://tinyurl.com/nhkxkdav
(7) Dario Dongo, Marta Strinati. Italy. The ‘drought decree’ becomes a Trojan horse for new GMOs. Civil society protests. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 31.5.23
(8) Dario Dongo. GMO wheat from Argentina and Brazil, soon on our tables? GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 12.11.21
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Agronomist, collaborates with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the University of Catania, Agronomy and Herbaceous Crops section. Researcher on ancient Sicilian grains.
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