The role of man
“The farmer is a bioregulator. His role as custodian of the territory and as regulator of biodiversity must be recognized." This was stated by the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida, speaking at Agrifish which was held this morning in Brussels."Through the document that Italy presented today during the Agriculture and Fisheries Commission, and which was signed by France, Austria, Poland, Romania, Greece, Finland and Latvia and was supported by the large majority of European ministers during the discussion, our nation is once again a protagonist in the European Union". Through this provision, presented by Minister Lollobrigida, Italy asks to consider the farmer as a central figure in environmental protection. “We must invest in agriculture – said Lollobrigida – as the main measure useful for guaranteeing the maintenance of the territory. The figure of the farmer, in fact, cannot be considered in contrast with the environment".
Objective scientific data
In particular, the document calls for the revision of the habitat directive to act in protecting the environment without ideological prejudices but only based on objective scientific data. “Man – explained the minister – must help endangered species to survive but, with the same determination, must evaluate and intervene to reduce the overpopulation of some species, to guarantee balance in the same species but also for all the others, including man, in his own activities. Precisely for this reason, the European position on large carnivores, including wolves, must be reviewed in light of the current presence which has become excessive in many areas of the continent. We therefore believe that the challenges related to the presence of wild animals need to be urgently addressed by reviewing and updating the current regulatory framework on the protection status of wolves."
CAP funding
Among the other requests made to the European Commission, that of continuing to adequately finance the CAP to maintain agricultural activity and recognize the need to keep the entire agricultural surface in production. Finally, it calls for a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of the Green Deal legislation and its impact on EU agriculture, to “ensure that it is in line with the priority objectives of strategic autonomy, food security and food sovereignty of the 'European Union", added Minister Lollobrigida. In conclusion, European Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski thanked Italy for the ideas and for the document presented, guaranteeing decisive action on all issues.