Promoting the environmental, social and economic centrality of organic: FederBio’s amendment proposals to the State Budget

FederBio, after an analysis of the contents of the 2025 Budget Law, has sent a series of amendment proposals to Parliamentarians with the hope that they will be accepted and filed in due time to allow for discussion during the approval process of the 2025 budget.

The goal is to aim for a greater commitment in the State budget to support organic farming, a sector in which Italy is a leader at European level and which represents the main instrument for the ecological transition of agriculture.

As a first point, FederBio proposes to remodulate the VAT rates by eliminating the concessions for chemically synthesised pesticides and fertilizers and lowering the VAT to 4% for all organic consumer products and technical means permitted in organic farming which are becoming increasingly widespread in the rest of agriculture.

“ We believe it is necessary to use the fiscal lever of the VAT rate to facilitate the use of technical means permitted in organic farming, which are essential for promoting the sustainability of all agriculture – explains Maria Grazia Mammuccini , President of FederBio – In this way it is possible to effectively stimulate internal demand and promote the achievement of the objective of 25% of organically cultivated surface area by 2027, as envisaged by the National Strategic Plan of the CAP”.

Still in the fiscal field, the Federation proposes the introduction of a tax credit for the costs of certification, which today are entirely borne by agricultural companies and all operators in the supply chain who certify products according to European and national organic farming standards.

“ Currently – notes Mammuccini – the costs of certification represent a significant economic burden, particularly for small agricultural companies, which generates a downstream impact on the price of consumer products . On the other hand, the use of national taxation represents one of the strategic tools on which the European Union relies to promote the increase in organic agricultural land, which is also recommended by the EU Strategies “Farm to Fork” and “Biodiversity 2030”

Finally, for the ” Fund for organic school canteens” FederBio proposes to increase resources, for the year 2025 and beyond, to at least 10 million euros. This request is dictated by the consideration that children and young people are more subject to exposure to residues of synthetic chemicals in food.

“ With this request we also intend to underline the educational role of organic school canteens which can represent a decisive lever for promoting healthy and balanced eating styles in the new generations ”, concludes President Mammuccini.

An unprecedented opportunity to get to know the sparkling and lively native bubbles of the Euganean Hills up close.

On Sunday 17 November , from 10 am to 6 pm, the hall of the Praglia Abbey Convention Centre , in the municipality of Teolo (PD), will host “Vulcanico Serprino”, the largest tasting ever organised of Serprino dei Colli Euganei , hosted in one of the symbolic places of the Padua area. Around twenty companies will be present with their stands, which will offer visitors a total of over thirty references for tasting, offering a wide panorama of the typical Euganean bubbles, both in the sparkling version and in the rarer spumante type, including, in some cases, a preview of the very first bottles of the 2024 harvest. The event is organised by the Consorzio Tutela Vini Colli Euganei , as part of the initiatives envisaged by the strategic plan for the relaunch of Serprino dei Colli Euganei.

“At the Abbey of Praglia, whose monastic community I thank for its exquisite availability – declares the President of the Consortium, Gianluca Carraro – the public will have the opportunity to approach the different facets of Serprino dei Colli Euganei. This wine is the only Veneto wine with a denomination of origin specialized in the sparkling type, given that the sparkling version represents a minimal share of our production, unlike what happens in other areas of our region, where sparkling wine is completely prevalent, sometimes with staggering numbers. Our production of Serprino is just around one million bottles, even if the potential represented by the existing vineyards on the Euganean Hills would allow us to at least quadruple the volumes. Getting to bottle all our potential would mean offering a concrete possibility of remuneration for the assiduous and passionate work of our winemakers, who grow a local, native grape, which represents one of the jewels of the biodiversity of the Euganean Hills and preserve, with their work, also a precious territory, rightly recognized as a Regional Park and as a MAB Unesco Heritage Site”.

Entrance to “Vulcanico Serprino” is free. Tastings are available at the producers’ stands upon purchase of the tasting kit, on sale for 15 euros at the access point to the fair, or can be booked online, discounted to 12 euros, on the Eventbrite portal (https://www.eventbrite.it/e/1073601162979/). Special discounts are also available for AIS, FISAR, ONAV and Slow Food members in possession of a valid membership card, to be shown at the entrance. A bar service open to visitors will also be available at the facility.

13 Schools in 6 Italian regions and others abroad, from California to Australia.

Simonit&Sirch Academy is a complex training platform dedicated to vine growing based on a virtual learning environment.

( www.simonitesirchacademy.com ) and on Vine Pruning Schools in the Field . Unique in its kind at an international level , it offers on the platform 4 continuous on-demand courses and 8 webinars recorded in the vineyards on different topics (pruning, tree surgery, leaf wall), and numerous Pruning Schools in presence in various Italian and foreign regions.

The next Level 1 Pruning Schools will start in November.
The package includes 2 online courses , Vine Pruner and Vine Pruner Advanced, and 3 days of practical exercises , which will take place full time from 8.00 to 17.00 between November 2024 and January 2025 for winter pruning and in spring 2025 for shoot selection.

Simonit&Sirch tutors will teach pruning and plant management techniques to safeguard their health and longevity, promote resilience to climate stress, and improve the sustainability of vineyards. The four fundamental principles of Simonit&Sirch Pruning will be explored: respect the lymphatic flow, promote branching and chronological growth of the wood, make small cuts and preserve living wood.

A total of 13 pruning schools will be held in various Italian regions (Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Tuscany, Campania) : those who attend all the lessons and pass a practical exam will be issued a certificate of completion of the course .

Additionally, other pruning schools will be held abroad (a blend of online and in-person training and even in-person only) in California, Oregon, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Australia .

Detailed dates and programs can be found on the website www.simonitesirchacademy.com , where you can already register. The cost is €640. Those who have already attended a School, or already purchased the Vine Pruner and Vine Pruner Advanced courses online, can register for one or more practical sessions at the location of their choice (cost €480).
ITALY
Piedmont – Guyot
November 18-19, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Braida di Giacomo Bologna – Via Roma 94 – Rocchetta Tanaro (AT)

Veneto – Guyot
November 20-21, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Allegrini – Calarena – Fumane (VR)

Veneto – Guyot
November 22-23, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Cecchetto Agricultural Company – Via Largoni 27 – Motta di Livenza (TV)

Tuscany – Guyot
November 26-27, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Agricola San Felice – Locality San Felice – Castelnuovo Berardenga (SI)

Tuscany – Spurred cordon
November 28-29, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Agricola San Felice – Locality San Felice – Castelnuovo Berardenga (SI)

Lombardy – Guyot (English)
02-03 December 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Bellavista Company – Via Bellavista 5 – Erbusco (BS)

Lombardy – Spurred cordon (English)
04-05 December 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Bellavista Company – Via Bellavista 5 – Erbusco (BS)

Campania – Guyot
December 16-17, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Feudi di San Gregorio Agricultural Company – Cerza Grossa Locality – Sorbo Serpico (AV)

Campania – Spurred cordon
December 18-19, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Feudi di San Gregorio Agricultural Company – Cerza Grossa Locality – Sorbo Serpico (AV)

Lombardy – Guyot
December 16-17, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Bellavista Company – Via Bellavista 5 – Erbusco (BS)

Lombardy – Spurred cordon
December 18-19, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Bellavista Company – Via Bellavista 5 – Erbusco (BS)

Friuli Venezia Giulia – Guyot
07-08 January 2025
LOCATION: Vine Lodge Academy – Simonit&Sirch Campus – Via degli Alpini 2 – Capriva del Friuli (GO)

Friuli Venezia Giulia – Spurred cordon
09-10 January 2025
LOCATION: Vine Lodge Academy – Simonit&Sirch Campus Via degli Alpini 2 – Capriva del Friuli (GO)

For registration and information: SIMONIT&SIRCH ACADEMY

www.simonitesirchacademy.com – info@simonitesirchacademy.com

A Caravan of Bagna Cauda from Liguria to Piedmont The Olympic “fujot” lights up in Asti on November 23.

The largest collective bagna cauda in the world is scheduled for the last two weekends of November and from January 29 to February 2, 2025 with the Bagna della Merla. The slogan of Bagna Cauda Day 2024 is: «Esageruma nen: the world belongs to everyone»

Bagna Cauda Day 2024 is enriched with a new event: a caravan of vintage cars that, starting from Liguria and going up the Col di Nava, will arrive in Piedmont to bring – like the three wise men – the “foreign” ingredients of bagna cauda: the new oil of freshly pressed Taggiasca olives and anchovies from the Ligurian Sea. There will also be garlic from Vessalico.

On Saturday 23 November, on the trail of one of the ancient salt routes, a group of vintage cars from the Camea club of Asti , with the support of Asti Energy , will set off from Badalucco, one of the towns in the Argentina Valley, one of the capitals of Ligurian oil, famous for its medieval bridges. From Piazza Marconi to Badalucco, the town of the historic Roi oil mill , the caravan, greeted by the Ligurians after the symbolic delivery of oil, anchovies and garlic, will climb the hairpin bends of Col di Nava, then descend into Piedmont along the Tanaro Valley. Before arriving in Asti, it will pass through Nizza Monferrato to stock up on cardoons, the queen vegetables of every bagna cauda, and Barbera ( Cantina del Nizza ).

The arrival is expected at 5.30 pm in Piazza Libertà in Asti where a large fujot (the typical stove for bagna cauda) has been set up which will be lit like a brazier by Olympic athlete Alice Sotero, the pentathlete who represented Italy twice at the Tokyo and Paris games.

Bagna Cauda Day 2024: from Piedmont to China, from New York to Japan

Bagna Cauda Day is the largest collective and contemporary bagna cauda in the world. It will be celebrated in more than 170 venues including restaurants, historic cellars, and agritourism, with over 48,000 seats available at the table. The initiative is promoted for the twelfth year by the Astigiani Cultural Association, which allocates its profits to concrete solidarity actions. This year with a new feature: no longer two, but three weekends: November 22, 23, 24 and November 29-30 and December 1, to which the Bagna della Merla is added January 29-30-31 and February 1-2, 2025.

The event, which is widespread throughout Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta and Liguria, also has significant presences abroad. In China, the Piedmontese who work in Shanghai and Wuhan will celebrate Bagna Cauda Day, and Bagna Cauda Day will also be celebrated in Japan , New York , London and other European capitals: Madrid, Budapest and Bratislava .

The bagna cauda

It is a traditional and convivial dish spread throughout the world wherever there are Piedmontese. A hot sauce of oil, anchovies and garlic that welcomes all types of vegetables from the garden, “dipped” in fujot and accompanied by bread and wine. There are cardoons, but also cabbages, turnips, red biarava, boiled potatoes and onions, leeks and Jerusalem artichokes etc. Bagna Cauda has accompanied the winters of dozens of generations of farmers. It is an ancient ritual that has become current again with the addition of an ingredient: irony.

Which venues are participating and why you need to follow the traffic lights

To find out which venues are participating in the original formula, simply go to the website: www.bagnacaudaday.it and scroll through the lists, divided by geographical area: Asti, Monferrato, Langhe, Torinese, Alto Piemonte and more. For each venue, a card is published with the number of places available, telephone and email to book.

You have to follow the traffic lights that indicate the type of bagna cauda offered: red for the classic version “as God commands”, yellow for the “heretical” one with diluted garlic and green for the “atheist” bagna without garlic. There is also the possibility of having the bagna cauda at home, ready with all the right vegetables from the places that offer the “Sporta a ca’” version.

Bagnacaudisti will be able to express their appreciation for the welcome and conviviality received.

How much does it cost to participate?

The reference price of Bagna Cauda in all establishments will be 30 euros, without the addition of a cover charge. Some establishments will also include appetizers and other delicacies in this price. Also planned are the Bagna sovrana version and the Finale in gloria with truffle. The wine is offered at the price of 15 euros per bottle. The Bagna Cauda Day sees the alliance of four important wineries from Asti, leaders of Barbera: Bava di Cocconato, Braida di Rocchetta Tanaro, Cascina Castlèt di Costigliole d’Asti and Coppo di Canelli.