MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on withdrawal from the market of Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano cheese wheels that are no longer marketable
19.6.2012
Sergio Paolo Francesco Silvestris, Roberta Angelilli, Niccolò Rinaldi, Clemente Mastella, Crescenzio Rivellini, Vincenzo Iovine, Antonio Cancian, Lara Comi, Luigi Ciriaco De Mita, Potito Salatto, Aldo Patriciello, Elisabetta Gardini, Mario Borghezio, Oreste Rossi
B7‑0337/2012
European Parliament resolution on withdrawal from the market of Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano cheese wheels that are no longer marketable
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Rule 120 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 22 May 2012 a state of emergency was declared in Italy for the provinces of Bologna, Modena, Ferrara and Mantua, following the earthquake which struck those provinces;
B. whereas in the earthquake-affected area, farms are the centrepiece of a system producing many European PDO products, such as Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano), balsamic vinegar from Modena and Parma ham, and, in the above-mentioned provinces alone, these products are worth 5% of the value of all agricultural products from Italy;
C. whereas, according to the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, the damage is in excess of
EUR 200 million and the greatest damage was inflicted on farms producing the PDO cheeses Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano, for which it is estimated that the shelving collapses will make over 300 000 cheese wheels unusable for commercial purposes, but which could still be used for food;
1. Calls on the Commission to authorise the withdrawal from the market of the wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano that are no longer marketable but could be used for food purposes by AGEA[1], so that they can subsequently be used under intervention plans managed by that agency;
2. Calls on the Commission to take further extraordinary measures to support the farm incomes that have been so adversely affected in the earthquake-stricken areas and to facilitate the resumption of business of the entire productive sector.
- [1] National Agricultural Payments Agency