On 19th October, a seminar titled “Ethical pastures, animal welfare and product quality – Ideas for a new local food supply chain” took place at Palazzo Giustino Ferri in Picinisco (FR).
The speakers at the seminar were the Mayor of Picinisco, members of the consumers association “Codici”, the President of Confagricoltura Frosinone, and Claudio Di Giovannantonio (ARSIAL) for the LIFE Grace project.
Di Giovannantonio talked about how LIFE Grace has had to confront strong market trends in the past four years, especially consumers choosing to buy more and more pork and poultry. This is damaging to small extensive breeding in Lazio, which is at risk of disappearing, together with local cattle, sheep and horse breeds. Lawyer Florenzani, a representative for the “Codici” association, proposed some solutions to these challenges: “ethical purchasing groups” can get involved in buying meat from the local supply chain, while public canteens should be encouraged to incorporate Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) in their contracts.
Support from local politics is also vital: the Mayor of Picinisco has already promised to build new “stazzi” (enclosures) for sheep extensive breeding in the Picinisco Municipality.
LIFE GRACE (23/10/2024)