Thus began the autumn of democracy on September 21, 2017, with the ‘provisional’ implementation of CETA. Waiting for the politicians of the member states of Europe, to do the bidding of the plutocrats in charge, and ratify the treaty.
The consequences of CETA on the safety ofoverseasfood that will land in Europe have already been exposed. In short, meat from cloned animals (without traceability of genetic engineering interventions) as well as ‘inflated’ with anabolic steroid hormones, cortisone drugs and ‘β-agonists,’ (such as ractopamine). Carcasses decontaminated afterwards, poultry carcasses with chlorine, beef and pork carcasses with lactic acid. (1) Foods produced with untraced GMO and ‘new GMO’ ingredients. Agricultural commodities treated with agrotoxics such as glyphosate and dicamba even at the post-harvest stage, as banned in Italy.
The effects of CETA on Made in Italy and Made in Europe are summed up in the recognition of 41 PDOs and PGIs out of the nearly 300 registered in Europe. With the only condition that the fake Made in USA and Made in Canada add a wording such as style or kind, before expressly defiling the names of that dozen of our recognized PDOs. (2) Provided that registered trademarks and customary names have not taken over in the meantime.
There is no shortage of critical voices, (3) but they are bound to leave time for themselves. The only solution appears to be to strengthen systems of rules to guard information on the origin of food and its ingredients. National initiatives on the origin of wheat in pasta and rice are destined to succumb. Both because of the Italian government itself, which has deliberately violated European rules of notification of such standards, and by virtue of the litigation already initiated by the U.S. and Canada in the WTO.
On the origin of foodstuffs, the Juncker Commission has already shown the nolwill to apply the rules defined by the European legislature. Stubbornly delaying the enforcement of therequirement to mention the different origin of the primary ingredient on foods that boast Made in. (4) In addition to denying the evidence of facts about the interest of European consumers in knowing the origin of meats and milk used as ingredients in other products, as well as theorigin of raw materials of single-ingredient or predominant ingredient foods (>50%).
It is therefore necessary to bring home in the meantime, with the green light from the European Commission, the Italian decree requiring mandatory indication of the location of the factory on Made in Italy products. And move as soon as possible on traceability and meat origin at restaurants, so that patrons of public establishments and canteens at least can know when the slice is Made in Canada instead of Made in France or Made in Italy. Differences, as it turns out, of no small magnitude. For the health of consumers and the preservation of our valuable animal husbandry.
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) See in this regard the position expressed by BEUC, the confederation of European consumers, at http://www.beuc.eu/publications/2012-00757-01-e.pdf
(2) In fact, the North American dairy industry has already announced battle in its determination to continue counterfeiting our PDOs. See http://mobile.dairyreporter.com/Regulation-Safety/IDFA-unhappy-over-trade-agreement-terms
(3) Cite, for example, Jacques Sapir’s recent note, at http://vocidallestero.it/2017/09/23/lentrata-in-vigore-del-ceta-e-uno-scandalo-per-la-democrazia/
(4) See reg. EU 1169/11, Article 26.3
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
