Fight against Xylella: the first round table with all the actors in the supply chain at Masaf, Minister Lollobrigida: “stop emergency management, structural interventions are needed”

Yesterday, Wednesday 26 February, A historic meeting on Xylella was held at Masaf, with the participation of the Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida, the Undersecretary Patrizio La Pietra and representatives of the Government, Regions and agricultural associations. For the first time, everyone the actors involved sat down at the same table to define a structural approach to the fight against the bacterium that threatens the olive-growing heritage of Puglia.

The roundtable on Xylella was held yesterday morning at Masaf, in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, and the Undersecretary Patrizio La Pietra, with the participation of representatives of the Puglia Region and agricultural associations.

In confirmation of the Meloni Government's strong commitment to fight against Xylella, the meeting was also attended by the Undersecretary of Health, Marcello Gemmato, for phytosanitary aspects, the Undersecretary of the Environment, Claudio Barbaro, for the environmental regeneration of the affected territories, the President of Crea, Andrea Rocchi, for the coordination of research activities, and the Extraordinary Commissioner Nicola Dell'Acqua, for issues related to water resources management.

"We are finally facing a turning point. For the first time, today, we have brought together all the actors in the supply chain: from institutions to representatives of the territory, from the world of research to trade associations, who are sensitive both as operators and as political subjects, with respect to a problem that is at the same time an emergency, due to the constant expansion of Xylella, and a consolidated issue, which should not be addressed with emergency logics, but with structural interventions“, – declared the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Francesco lollobrigida. "The organization of this meeting, with the involvement of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of the Environment, together with the regions - in particular Puglia e Basilicata - wanted to create an operational osmosis between the ministries that have direct competences on the system attacked by the plant disease. I am sure that, with the collaboration of all the parties involved, we will be able to implement the necessary interventions to respond concretely to this problem".

"We must proceed together, government, region and associations – declared Undersecretary La Pietra – pto understand where to improve and make a paradigm shift, which finally leads us to develop a shared strategy from which to start again for new allocations, because before asking for money from the government, which has made itself available immediately, or making requests in Europe, it is appropriate, indeed necessary, to know how you intend to use the funds you request. Attention to the Xylella issue – concluded the Undersecretary of Masaf, Senator Patrizio The stone - on the part of our ministry is high and this is confirmed by the will to insert a specific passage in the national olive oil plan, the draft of which I will present next week in Verona on the occasion of the Sol2Expo event".

"The fight against Xylella fastidiosa takes a significant step forward thanks to a new approach that includes, in addition to resources of 30 million euros provided by the Agriculture Decree, more effective coordination between the various institutional levels.” – commented the Undersecretary of Health Hon. Marcello gemmato. "For the first time, the Ministries of Agriculture, Health and the Environment are meeting around a common table, together with the regional ministers forAgriculture of Puglia and Basilicata and trade associations to address in a structured way an emergency that has been severely affecting the olive-growing heritage of Puglia for years. A highly representative table, born with the aim of providing concrete and lasting answers and avoiding the mistakes of the past, when complex problems were answered with simplistic and ineffective solutions.".

"I consider this initiative of comparison with several Ministries particularly praiseworthy and important. On behalf of Mase I have guaranteed maximum availability, both for the assessment of environmental risk in the use of containment pesticides, and to participate in interventions to regenerate the heritage of olive trees in Puglia“, underlined the Undersecretary for the Environment, Claudio Barbarian. "The disease, in fact, has caused the death of over 20 million trees, with very serious environmental consequences, in addition to the socioeconomic ones. Olive trees, in fact, have a lethal role from a bio-naturalistic point of view and have a significant capacity to absorb CO2“, concluded the Undersecretary.

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