Agriculture is still alive
“We are living in a crucial moment for the Tuscan agri-food sector - states Claudio Capecchi, president of Cia-Italian Farmers Grosseto, speaking at the last of a series of meetings, which are part of a series of seminars organized by Cia Toscana and Cia Grosseto, dedicated to fully understanding the state of health of the primary sector. According to IRPET data, the agri-food sector in Tuscany is growing with an annual increase in production value of over 10%, well above the national average. This shows that agriculture is still alive, farmers believe in their work, invest and are committed to innovating”. Despite these encouraging data, as highlighted by Capecchi, the increase in production has not translated into concrete benefits for all the actors in the supply chain. “The increase in production has not guaranteed adequate margins for those who work directly in the field. There is a lack of the right balance between production, processing and marketing. This is the central issue that we wanted to address and on which we will also turn the spotlight with the regional councilor for Agriculture, Stefania Saccardi, in the next final meeting of the series”.
The most affected farms
In the seminar just concluded in Grosseto, the focus was on livestock sustainability, with particular attention to sheep, goat and livestock farms in the province. Among the main difficulties that emerged, Capecchi underlined the impact of predation, a problem that continues to weigh on companies dedicated to grazing. In response to this challenge, the Tuscany Region introduced the ACA 17 measure, a targeted support for pasture management, with the aim of conserving and enhancing biodiversity through a payment per hectare of grazed land.
The preventive measures
“This measure - Capecchi explained - is a concrete help for companies that practice grazing for about 120 days a year. It includes prevention measures such as fences, continuous surveillance and guard dogs, all solutions aimed at containing the phenomenon of predation.” This measure, supported and proposed by Cia Grosseto and Cia Toscana, also responded to the need to mitigate additional costs, which have become increasingly burdensome for local companies. “We worked with Crea to define the economic burdens that weigh on grazing in the presence of predators and we believe that the recognition of a premium for assisted grazing is a significant step towards the sustainability of the sector,” Capecchi observed (source: CIA Grosseto).
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