Coldiretti mobilization (with farmers from Parma) at Brenner to block foreign products ready to become Italian

Danish pork legs headed for Modena that risk becoming Italian hams, Indian grapes shipped to Novara, South African fruit coming from Moldova headed to Sicily, industrial egg-based preparations made in Poland and expected in Verona. And also a truck loaded with wheat without traceability.

These are just some examples of the “fake in Italy” discovered by Coldiretti at Brenner, where ten thousand farmers with the support of the police stopped trucks loaded with food products coming from abroad. A mobilization to put a stop to the invasion of foreign food often sold as national, with the launch of a large collection of signatures for a popular initiative European law proposal that leads to the extension of the indication of origin on the label to all products marketed in the European Union. Over 2000 farmers from Emilia-Romagna also participate in the presidium, led by the regional President of Coldiretti Nicola Bertinelli and the Director, Marco Allaria Olivieri.

The arrivals of pork legs from Northern Europe already ready – underlines Coldiretti – to be processed and perhaps become hams sold on the market with names such as “local” or “farm” are worrying. But there is also Indian grapes headed for Novara that enter our country in packages that do not comply with regulations and which will therefore have to be replaced, with the doubt that they can be changed.

The case of industrial egg-based preparations arriving from Poland is also emblematic – continues Coldiretti – considering that Italy is fully self-sufficient for its national needs. And there is no shortage of Danish curds to make cheese destined for Parma. But among the products discovered during the checks there are also 25 thousand kilos of Austrian milk headed to Brescia, 23 thousand kilos of pears from Belgium headed to Taranto, onions from Eastern Europe shipped to Parma, cheeses with an Italian name made in Northern Europe, tulips Dutch people traveling to Verona, 21 thousand kilos of “Nordic” potatoes shipped to Crotone, baked goods, pork and much more.

The mobilization does not stop with the Coldiretti farmers who will remain at the border tomorrow, Tuesday 9 April, to continue from 9 am with the verification of the loads of arriving trucks and tankers. For the occasion, the 2024 black list of the most dangerous foreign products will be revealed, with a sector-by-sector analysis of contaminated foods discovered after entering our country.

“They told us that today at Brenner we would not find trucks entering the area carrying agri-food products as we had found them in past years – said the president of Coldiretti Ettore Prandini – unfortunately the facts have shown exactly the opposite. Too many foreign products become Italian by crossing our borders. This is no longer acceptable and applies to all products. We want proper transparency regarding the information that must be given to citizens: for this reason – concludes Prandini – the obligation of origin at European level is needed. Then let the citizens choose with awareness what to buy.”