One of Italy's leading farming organisations says it has noted a major groundswell in public support for the potential introduction of tariffs on imported fresh fruit and vegetables.
In a dossier titled 'The risk of low-cost food' presented this week in Brussels, Coldiretti claimed that more than 90 per cent of Italians responding to an online survey favoured the introduction of such duties on imported goods in order to protect Italian products and safeguard jobs.
However, a much lower figure – around one-third – said they would support the application of tariffs to all foreign imports, with 29 per cent saying they would back them only in the case of countries that failed to respect certain health, environmental and labour standards.
Coldiretti also noted that 15 per cent wanted tariffs to be introduced only on products made abroad but sold as Made in Italy, with 13 per cent demanding them for products sourced from non-EU cuntries.
The association's president Sergio Marini, said the results of the survey reflected 'a broad sentiment in terms of defending the national identity of [Italian] products and the need to invest in the country's distinctive values'. He added: 'When it comes to the food business, we need to intervene right away to guarantee transparency of information and make it compulsory to indicate origin on labels so that consumers can make informed purchasing decisions.'
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