The answer to a parliamentary question by the MP Mara Bizzotto.

We are not angry with animal proteins and farms. This is what the EU commissioner for health and food safety Stella Kyriakides answered in summary on 12 January to a parliamentary question by the Hon. Mara Bizzotto on the Farm to Fork strategy, as part of the global objectives of the European Green Deal. Bizzotto's question asked not to demonize animal proteins and to protect the Italian and European agri-food chain.

This is the complete answer of Kyriakides. At the end also the question by the Hon. Bizzotto.

"The 'Farm to Fork' strategy does not set specific targets for animal protein consumption. Although food choices remain a personal matter, it is important to inform consumers in a transparent way to enable them to follow a healthy and sustainable diet. This is particularly important in the EU, as average consumption patterns are not in line with national dietary recommendations. If this was the case, the environmental footprint of food systems would be significantly reduced. 

The 'From producer to consumer' strategy identifies the need to encourage producers to adopt sustainable practices for crop and livestock production. In this respect, the ongoing review of the EU agricultural promotion policy will provide an opportunity to support more sustainable and carbon efficient livestock production methods. As announced in the Commission's communication on the Producer-to-Consumer strategy, the Commission will review this strategy by mid-2023 to assess whether the actions taken are sufficient to achieve its objectives or whether further action is needed".

Question for written answer to the Commission 25-10-2021

Mara Bizzotto (LEGA) Subject: The paradoxes of the "Farm to Fork" strategy: the EU Commission does not demonize animal proteins and protect the Italian and European agri-food chain

The European "Farm to Fork" (F2F) strategy aims to reduce the consumption of animal proteins for a more sustainable diet. Sustainable Meat and European Livestock Voice, which represent the Italian and European livestock sector, have made a video that has revealed the following nine paradoxes of the ideological approach of F2F. Animal proteins contribute to the functioning of the human brain. The land intended for breeding does not subtract land from agriculture, but from overbuilding.

Farms ensure employment in rural areas, counteract the loss of biodiversity, the abandonment of territories and hydrogeological instability. The downsizing of the European livestock sector promoted by the F2F strategy will cause an increase in meat imports from non-European countries, which do not respect the same environmental and sustainability standards of animal welfare as EU producers. The objectives of reducing the use of fertilizers and increasing organic production are also problematic, because animal fertilizer is needed to achieve them and therefore livestock farms are needed.

Finally, the objectives of F2F relating to the short chain, the protection of protected geographical indications and food safety cannot ignore the safeguarding of "Made in Italy" and other European agri-food excellence, many of which are of animal origin.

In light of the paradoxes highlighted, can the Commission indicate whether it intends to review the "Farm to Fork" strategy to aim at a truly sustainable food model without penalizing the entire Italian and European agri-food chain?