Grosseto, animal husbandry and the educational farm at the center of the Madonnino Fair

Grosseto, animal husbandry and the educational farm at the center of the Madonnino Fair.

Presented this morning, the next edition of the Madonnino Fair and the Game Fair, the annual event - scheduled from 23 to 25 April - which promotes agriculture, rurality and outdoor activities in full compliance with environment.

The press conference, attended by the mayor Antonfrancesco Vivarelli Colonna, the president of GrossetoFiere, Andrea Masini and the director of Arat, Claudio Bressannutti, represented the opportunity to present the livestock events, organized thanks to the collaboration with AIA and ARAT, which for this edition will occupy two large spaces: the livestock showcase dedicated to biodiversity and the educational farm.

The edition now upon us, in addition to local agricultural products and an educational farm for the little ones, will host an entirely dedicated pavilion with the main species and breeds bred in Tuscany. The great biodiversity of animal breeds that our territory hosts represents a historical and cultural heritage of great importance that requires specific protection actions. Their disappearance would lead to an impoverishment of the Tuscan natural heritage, with the consequent depopulation and abandonment of rural territories, an increase in environmental degradation, the loss of typical local productions and cultural traditions linked to individual breeds. In recent years, an intense process of recovering the latter has been undertaken, thanks to the rediscovery of the territory and the valorisation of livestock production through the recognition of certified production (Idp and Dop brands). Today there is a need to promote, through tools that can directly reach the population and young people in particular, this livestock sector which is extremely necessary to maintain the characteristics that distinguish a territory.

The mayor of Grosseto Antonfrancesco Vivarelli Colonna underlined: “Today, more than ever, it becomes essential to promote the livestock sector with tools and means of communication accessible to all. We must strive and collaborate to keep intact those characteristics that distinguish a territory, to avoid the depopulation of agricultural areas, to reduce production costs and environmental impact, increasing production efficiency. Personally – continues the mayor – I am thrilled that our Administration, despite such a delicate and difficult historical moment, wanted to confirm its economic support for this strategically important event for our territory”.

The president of Grossetofiere, Andrea Masini, then added: “When we talk about animal husbandry we talk about Maremma. Our territory is the one with the largest number of animals bred in all of Tuscany. Unfortunately, today, with the crisis in the sector, we are witnessing a process of abandonment of this activity which seems more irreversible than ever. Here the Madonnino fair, which has been telling the story of Tuscan agriculture for over 40 years, becomes an indispensable promotion and valorisation tool for this sector. As always, we thank the Municipality of Grosseto, which has been supporting this important trade fair event, unique in Tuscany, for years now."