Yes to zampone and cotechino and no to the products out of season, that are not part of our tradition and than are, often, cultivated in Countries where it is still legal to use insecticides. This is what declared the Minister Luca Zaia during the meeting with the national and foreign press held the 16 December at the Mipaaf to thank them for the attention they have given to Italian agriculture and to summarise the work carried out in his first eight month in office.

"Together we have built the renaissance of the new Italian agriculture, giving back to the sector the authoritative image it deserves" , the Minister Luca Zaia declared during the meeting with the national and foreign press held the 16 December at the Mipaaf to thank them for the attention they have given to Italian agriculture and to summarise the work carried out in his first eight month in office.

"Italian agriculture is changing, Zaia stated, and the peasant’s old stereotype does not exist anymore. Agriculture is young, the Minister emphasized, and in fact I receive many requests of young men and women whom, even if not coming from rural families, want to start this road. We have the task of supporting them and to helping them, and your (the press) role is explain and valorise a world that has finally come out from the shadows".

"We know how to make quality, the Minister continued, and quality is not a luxury, but a standard for the Italian agrifood; we are in fact working to defend the made in Italy, both through the valorisation of the work of the young generation and through the Bill on the competitiveness of the Italian agrifood system that, for the first time, introduces in our Country the mandatory origin of products on the labels, than, the Minister highlighted, absolutely does not want to be a vexation against anyone".

"I imagine, the Minister explained, supermarkets of the future where the consumer can choose to head towards the section ' made in Italy' or the international one."

The Minister then spoke to all those present: "at Christmas consume and donate the products of the territory, like the zampone, we have 4,500 typical products that symbolise our Country; certainly in December there will not be all, but there will be at least 2000! "

"We must launch the pineapple strike, the Minister continued, and of all those products that have nothing to do with the Italian agriculture. Yes, therefore, to zampone and cotechino. And no, instead, to the non seasonal products, that do not belong to our tradition and that, often, are cultivated in Countries where it is still possible to use insecticides."

Commenting the recent alarm launched for the dioxin found in some pigs raised in Ireland, the Minister emphasized that "pig meat is safe if it comes from our breedings and moreover we can guarantee that in Italy we have effective controls; in one year we have carried out more than 8.000 controls on the quality of the agrifood products and have opened the 'zero tolerance' season to defend producers and consumers".

In conclusion, the Minister, answering a question of a journalist on the issue of alcohol and wine drinking among youngsters, declared: "For me who drives cannot touch alcohol. In my experience as president of the Province of Treviso I have made an experience that I consider positive, explained Zaia. When I arrived in the province there was an average of 167 deaths per year due to road incidents, after a combined effort of all the institutions, we managed to reduce this number to 60-70". Zaia then added that "this is only my personal opinion the issue of the road safety must be dealt with by the competent Ministers."

Answering to other questions, the Minister once again spoke about the horse sector. "What we have started is a real revolution, that will erase the past, and save ' men and horse'. The Bill approved by the Parliament, Zaia said, is the first stone for the reorganization of the Italian horse sector. It allocates 0.70% of the sums played with the slot-machine. It is a reform that will save more than 50 thousand families, and it is at zero cost"

Then addressing the issue of aids to the poor, the minister Zaia emphasized that "Europe has allocated to our Country the highest quota: 129 million euros, that is 26% of the totality of the Eu funds. This sum will be used to buy, rice, sugar, cereals, and dairy products like the Parmesan, to distribute to the more than seven million people who, in Italy, live with less than 600 euros per month".