Italian agriculture is the greenest in Europe after a record cut of 20% in pesticide use. On the contrary, pesticides are increasingly used in France, Germany, and Austria. According to Italian farmers association Coldiretti reporting the latest Eurostat analysis (for the period 2011 – 2018), pesticides use in France – Italy’s main competitor for the agricultural leadership in the EU – grew by 39%.
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ALL THE ADVANTAGES OF ITALIAN AGRICULTURE
Italian agriculture is the greenest in Europe to date also thanks to 299 PDO/PGI products, 415 Doc/Docg wines, 5155 regional traditional products, the leadership in organic farming (with over 60 thousand organic farms), and the global primacy in food safety. In fact, Italy can boast the lowest number of agri-food products with irregular chemical residues.
Moreover, the country is also a leader in biodiversity. The sector is among the most sustainable in Europe. It is responsible of as little as 7.2% of total Italy’s polluting emissions, corresponding to 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in Italy, compared to 76 million tonnes in France, 66 million in Germany, 41 million in the UK and 39 million in Spain.
THE RICHNESS OF MADE IN ITALY AGRI-FOOD SECTOR
This unique development model has guaranteed Italy also the first place in the EU in terms of added value: 31.8 billion euros in 2019, more than France (31.3 billion), Spain (26.6 billion), and Germany (21.1 billion).
“The records of Made in Italy agri-food sector have been made possible thanks to 730,000 agricultural companies – says the president of Coldiretti, Ettore Prandini -. The role of the agricultural sector for the sustainable growth of the country deserves to be recognized and rewarded. It is therefore necessary to safeguard this key sector for food safety, especially at a time when with the Covid-19 health emergency is putting the whole country to the test.”