The Italian Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida appoints two strategic public bodies for the agri-food sector (CREA and ISMEA), confirms support for new GMOs (or NGTs, New Genomic Techniques) and even distances himself from ancient grains. What ‘food sovereignty’?
CREA and ISMEA, the new commissioners
Decree law 22 April 2023 No. 44, ‘Urgent provisions for strengthening the administrative capacity of public administrations’, has introduced drastic reforms of two public bodies serving the Ministry of Agriculture, ISMEA (Institute of Services for the Agri-Food Market) and CREA (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics Analysis). Commissionership, direct appointment by the Minister of Agriculture of the three Board members, statutory reform. The Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida thus appointed two extraordinary commissioners:
– for ISMEA lawyer Livio Proietti, former coordinator of the Italian Social Movement and National Alliance in the province of Rome, former deputy, former board member of Sviluppo Italia and the disastrous ISA (Institute for Agri-Food Development),
– at CREA professor Mario Pezzotti, professor of Agricultural Genetics at the University of Verona and director of the Research and Innovation Center of the Edmund Mach Foundation. A great expert on NGTs (New Genomic Techniques), or new GMOs.
Ancient grains, differing opinions
The ancient grains and the spelt which are part of it have made it possible to enhance agroecology, even in disadvantaged rural areas, and the Italian gastronomic tradition. International consumers show appreciation for these 100% productions Made in Italy, which in fact express interesting growth potentials.
The book ‘Our Bread. Ancient grains, flours and other lies’ by Luigi Cattivelli, director of the Research Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics of CREA, however attacks any sustainable development perspective based on agroecology and ancient grains. Putting forward hypotheses widely debatable from a scientific point of view.
The dialectic between the guardians of biodiversity and those who believe genetic engineering can save the world is not new and it is actually good that it continues, so that every citizen can form an idea about the possible effects of two antithetical agri-food systems. Also in light of experiences gained, between pesticides and GMOs designed to resist them.
Ancient grains, the institutional attack
The new commissioner extraordinary of CREA organized the presentation of the book ‘Our Bread. Ancient grains, flours and other lies’, on July 13, 2023, at the headquarters of the public agency. The frontal attack against ancient grains has gone beyond the personal opinion level of the author of a book to that of the position of the top management of the Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economy:
– the new commissioner Mario Pezzotti congratulated himself for dedicating his first public commitment in CREA with the presentation of ‘a work that successfully combines history, genetics, evolution and correct scientific information on wheat’,
– the CREA press release follows his words ‘starting from the assumption that modern [wheat] varieties are better than ancient ones’ and ‘in the processed product (bread, pasta, etc.) taste and smell depend on the processing rather than the raw material used'.
The Minister of Agriculture pro-GMO and against ancient grains
Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture of the Italian Republic, he spoke at the first public event of the newly appointed extraordinary commissioner of CREA, nominated by him to celebrate the book, stating the following.
‘A very useful book for those in politics like me, to be able to correct the mistakes into which consuming citizens are induced, but also an opportunity to learn the history of an exceptional product, which has evolved thanks to technology'.
The ‘errors into which citizens are induced’ referred to by the minister – assuming he had the chance to read the book and consult the literature, besides market data – would concern the enhancement of ancient grains.
The policy agro-industrial policy of Minister Lollobrigida is therefore inspired by research, with the hope of finding ‘those solutions to implement a strategy that increases production and can also serve developing countries’, with the ‘technology applied to our agriculture’. The new GMOs, precisely.
The pro-GMO echo of the Italian Parliament
Luca De Carlo of Brothers of Italy is itself a staunch supporter of the new GMOs. The IX Senate Commission – Agriculture and agri-food production – chaired by him indeed praised the open field testing of NGTs (or NBTs, or TEA as they may be called). The senator also spoke at the CREA event, stating that ‘this book opens a world about the truth and against fake news: a great country like ours does not need to tell lies about its products’. What truths, what ‘fake news’?
The rhetoric of ‘genetic improvement’ has also been adopted in recent years in Argentina and Brazil. There, once again – with the false narrative of drought resistance and greater production – a GMO wheat variety resistant to glufosinate ammonium, a herbicide toxic to reproduction, was introduced. But European consumers do not seem willing to buy pasta made from GMO wheat, and that is why the lobby of Big Ag they aim to hide the presence of new GMOs on food labels. And the Made in Italy what does it have to do with?
Provisional conclusions
Indifference towards the environmental sustainability, often also economic, of agronomic practices required to cultivate wheat varieties that increasingly require fertilizers and pesticides has already caused a disaster in our cereal farming. The unsustainability of costs has caused the loss of 400,000 hectares of durum wheat cultivated areas in Italy over the last 20 years.
Italy will never be able to compete on volume and prices of durum wheat with Canada, USA and Australia. Our only salvation lies in distinctive identity and quality, especially if associated with organic productions and the cultivation of native wheats. Ancient wheats have adapted over the centuries to their territories and preserve traits of environmental sustainability and qualitative characteristics in many respects better than new varieties.
Let's start then to consider the possibility of drawing from the genetic heritage of native wheats to develop wheat varieties respectful of the environment and our health. Persisting in the search for only yield increase, neglecting the amount of input chemicals in agriculture associated with it, is institutionalized suicide.
Dario Dongo and Paolo Caruso
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT – Food Times) and Égalité.
Paolo Caruso, 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.
