Planet

Genetic improvement, MiPAAF gives 12 million to Coldiretti. #CleanSpades

August 26, 2021

The call for proposals to fund the genetic improvement of dairy cattle breeds-under the National Rural Development Plan (RDPN) Biodiversity-is resolved out of time with a gift of 12 million euros, from the MiPAAF, to the association system under Coldiretti.

The news in itself is not surprising, in light of the conflicts of interest already reported on this site, (1) between the members of the commission formed at CREA for the selection of the evaluating commissioners as well as the commissioners themselves, on the one hand, and the breeding system (AIA, ANA) colonized by Palazzo Rospigliosi. (2)

Rather, the blatant falsification of the data assumed as the basis of ministerial acts awarding resources allocated by the European Union, in the CAP 2014-2020, is surprising. The outcome of the petition for reconsideration submitted on 6.8.21 to the proceeding officer is now awaited. #CleanSpades.

Table of Contents

Farming system, biodiversity, public disbandment

The livestock system is widely financed, in rural development plans, in order to ensure the genetic improvement of animal breeds and biodiversity in the supply chains that characterize Made in Italy agribusiness. And public notice no. 3/2020, aimed at funding sub-measure 10.2(Support for the conservation, use and sustainable development of genetic resources in agriculture) of the PNSR (3) – registered for the first time the application of national breed associations independent of the AIA-Coldiretti bandwagon.

The beef sector, in particular, registered the candidacy of two large-scale projects:

– the first, in view of a € 3.5 million grant, was submitted by RIS Bufala (lead partner), in ATS (Temporary Association of Purpose) with the University of Turin. And it turned out to succumb to that of competitor ANASB (National Association of Buffalo Species Breeders), supported by Coldiretti. The award was challenged in the Lazio Regional Administrative Court on ANASB’s apparent failure to meet the statutory requirements set out in the notice,

– The second, for €12 million, was instead proposed by ANARB, FRISITALI and ANAJER with the collaboration of several European and international universities. Who in turn challenged the MiPAAF decision, ça va sans dir in favor of the Coldiretti power system (ANAFIJ). For a number of reasons that scream vengeance, without needing to be an expert in administrative law.

Public debarment, the gestation of the golden calf

The 12 million gift to the Coldiretti dome had been decided from the conception of the procedure, through the appointment of some influential commissioners close to it (1,2). The gestation of the golden calf has been long, however, as the project designated as the winner (ANAFIJ) is not even close in value and impact on the livestock system to the one proposed by the independent associations (ANARB, FRISITALI and ANAJER).

The committee evaluator had thus decided to award maximum scores to both projects – to prevent the use of ‘designated losers‘ – and attribute the victory to the ‘designated winner‘ in a tie, thanks to a ‘additional technical parameter‘ introduced by it ad hoc In the course of the inquiry procedure. But even on the additional parameter, to everyone’s surprise, Coldiretti’s candidate came out the loser.

Escamotage

The commissioners then found thecontrivance of a file that would not open to infer that the three independent associations (the first of which, ANARB, has been active in genetic selection for 60 years) did not have at least 3 qualified people to carry out the project and take away 6 points from them. But the three associations-which have 17 experts, including several university professors, as evident in at least four attachments-have asked for and obtained the reallocation of the relevant points.

At that point the committee, several months late, made the Solomonic judgment that it was unable to decide. Asserting that on the basis of the supplementary news ANARB should win the bid but-according to a different count, entrusted to CREA by another contrivance, which is completely unreasonable-would instead win ANAFIJ. And MiPAAF of course, after another month of cogitations, decided in favor of the usual knowns.

The hole gang. #CleanSpades

The petition for review submitted by ANARB to MiPAAF is emblematic in exposing a series of holes-between violations of the law and ideological forgeries-in the entire course of the procedure. Beginning with the ineligibility of ANAFIJ’s application due to the lack of statute requirements stipulated in the notice. To make matters worse, the scores were given omitting the fact that ANARB’s ECOLatte project was developed on 4 breeds (Brown, Holstein, Jersey and Original Brown), which is twice as many as ANAFIJ’s 2 (Holstein and Jersey). And the numbers considered to evaluate the technical parameter ex aequo are false. The icing on the cake is the use of a CREA ‘technical opinion‘ not provided for in the public notice.

The abuse of office appears blatant and systemic. And the recovery of legality in the procedure under consideration may not be enough, as is evident, when the system is actually compromised in its ganglia. As also noted, inter alia, in the shameful abuses committed by Gabriele Papa Pagliardini (whose conflict of interest has been censured by the European Commission but not also by Mario Draghi’s government). In all of this, it is worth noting, public money coming in from Europe is being played with. Those that, if allocated outside the law, are not even disbursed.

#CleanSpades

Dario Dongo