On Monday 26 February the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies presented the identifying logo of the ‘mountain product’ optional quality term at the Chamber of Commerce of Sondrio. This initiative gives value to the work carried out by ERSAF together with Euromontana, which in recent years has supported the mountain product in Europe.
The logo created by the Ministry is green with a stylized mountain and can be used on the products foreseen by the quality scheme. The Ministry has already approved the ministerial decree containing the national provisions on the use of the optional “mountain product” quality term and is currently working on the implementing regulation.
The producers of mountain areas represent 17% of the total Italian farms. “Our goal – said Minister Maurizio Martina – is to better promote the work of producers in mountain areas. The mountain agricultural economy is a fundamental pillar for the maintenance of our territories, even against hydrogeological instability. With the quality scheme and this new brand, consumers will be able to recognize productions more easily from labels and support these activities and their value, not just economic, but also social and environmental.”
The representatives of the producers present at the meeting are in agreement to reiterate the importance of this brand to increase the remuneration of mountain products. The territory of Valtellina, characterized by a strong agri-food sector, can certainly be a suitable place to experience this new opportunity first.
ERSAF, together with the Lombardy Region, is working to define a strategy that guarantees an adequate support to producers for the correct implementation of the national guidelines issued by the Ministry.
This article was written by ERSAF
13 March 2018
