Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
in Legnaro
Giuliano Marchesin, who presented the pillars of the National Beef Plan in Legnaro today, is convinced of
this outlook. "If we do not implement the actions designed by livestock farmers and shared by the overall
production chain before the end of 2014," he explained to the Eurocarne Observatory, "alongside the
conventional market characterized by 'anonymous meat', this will truly be the end of the sector." This is
behind the livestock farmers' proposal to set up a quality label identifying 100% Made in Italy meat to
protect consumers and encourage consumption.
"The 'Italian Seal' which we have ask the Ministry to register," Marchesin continued, "would clearly identify
cattle reared in accordance with regulations recognised by the National Livestock Quality System." The
Veneto Region is leading the way in this regard, with the official launch of the "Verified Quality" brand in
September that has already received the go-ahead from the Regional Government.
As regards the 'Italian Seal' and its promotion among consumers, finance for the initiative, Marchesin
pointed out, could be made available by players in the supply chain itself thanks to inter-profession
recognition of beef: "There is talk of a levy in the order of a few thousandths of a euro for each kilo of
meat."
Achieving this, however, means that the entire sector linked with livestock farming - production, processing
and distribution - must decide to work as a team. An opportunity to take stock of the situation will
undoubtedly be provided by Eurocarne, since the international show at Veronafiere aims to involve all the
players in every area of the sector: Italian and foreign breeding associations, mediation and import-export
services, the meat industry and processing sector, trade associations and consortia, product consortia, large
retailers, wholesalers and specialist outlets.
Additional aid for the Italian Seal project in terms of traceability and clarity in product communications may
well arrive from modern packaging, as explained this morning by Antioco Mei, business development
manager with Sealed Air, a multinational leader in the meat packaging industry: "Today, in the large-scale
retail distribution, 85% of meat sales focuses on packaged products and only 15% for cuts sold over the
counter, which is no longer the fulcrum but a showcase. Modern packaging is therefore essential for food
safety and communications, for consumer and the industry alike."