The European Commission Announces Significant Presence at Forthcoming Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre Event

The European Commission will have a significant presence at this year’s edition of the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre event (Turin, October 23-27, 2014). This was announced yesterday by Pia Bucella, Director Natural Capital, Directorate-General Environment; Andrea Gavinelli, Head of Unit of Animal Welfare, Directorate-General Health and Consumers; Pierre Bascou, Director Direct Support, Directorate-General Agriculture and Rural Development; Ernesto Penas Lado, Director Policy Development and Coordination, Directorate-General Maritime Affairs and Fisheries; and Dr. Ursula Hudson, member of the Slow Food International Board of Directors and President of Slow Food Germany.

All speakers highlighted at the press conference that this remarkable participation of four Directorates-General at an international event held beyond the borders of Brussels is a unique occurrence. This recognition stems from the positive experiences had during previous editions of Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre, during which they were able to witness the interest of the public and the capacity of Slow Food to communicate important messages regarding food, pleasure, knowledge, the environment, animal welfare, biodiversity and culture.

The details on the presence of the European Commission at Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre 2014 are as follows:

It will have a stand of 100m2, where the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers will present European policies on agriculture, food quality, sustainable farming, animal welfare and animal health, as well as host educational activities. The Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries will also participate at Salone del Gusto with a stand, where visitors will receive information on the communication campaign “Inseparable – Eat, Buy, Sell sustainable fish”, aiming to help consumers make the right choices, supported by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies. The graphic works of the primary schools of Turin on the theme “Choose your fish – No fish smaller than the legal size!” (“Che pesci pigliare – No ai pesci sotto taglia!”) will also be exhibited in the stand.

The abovementioned Directorates-General as well as the Directorate-General for the Environment will further participate with key speakers in the following conferences:

Our Daily Waste (Thursday, October 23):

The main aim of this conference is to show that when we waste food, we are not only wasting money, but also time, energy, and environmental and intellectual resources. The conference will thus tackle the following questions: What kind of production model has led to the levels of food waste we are currently witnessing? How can we, as a worldwide community, change our course? The conference, chaired by Dr. Ursula Hudson, President of Slow Food Germany, will have Anne-Laure Gassin, policy officer in the Innovation and Sustainability Unit at the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers, as a conference speaker. The other speakers are: Francesco Mele, Slow Food Italy; Franca Braga, editor, health and nutrition section, Altroconsumo magazine; and Stig Tanzmann, Policy Advisor Agriculture and Rural Development, Brot für die Welt.

Family Farming and the Protection of Mountains (Saturday, October 25)

Success stories from those mountainous areas, where farms are run by families and evermore young people, who are rediscovering the value of high-altitude hard work. A past tainted in abandon is here evolving into a future of wellness. The conference will have among its speakers Branka Tome, Deputy Head of the Quality Policy Unit at the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development. The conference is held with the support of the European Union and in collaboration with Compagnia di San Paolo.

Aquaculture: Solution or Problem? (Sunday, October 26)

Can aquaculture truly handle the increasing demand for fish products, thus relieving the oceans and seas from drastic overfishing? Or do the cons outweigh the pros? The new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) seems to ignore the environmental damage that aquaculture brings and instead promotes activities that look more toward financial gain than strengthening the sustainable fishing industry. All these issues affecting ocean environments will be discussed with various interested parties. A representative from the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries will intervene as key speaker at the conference.

The Future of Our Food, the Future of Europe: Let’s Talk (Friday, October 24)

Have your say: What kind of food system should there be in Europe? EU decision makers and practitioners are coming together for a direct discussion on the topic in an interactive conference setting. Slow Food encourages a holistic approach towards agriculture, the environment, the climate, the economy and consumption. But what are the steps to be taken to achieve this in EU policies? This conference is connected to the on- and offline dialogue “The Future of Our Food”, that started in 2012 in the Netherlands with the name of Het Eetcafé. “The Future of Our Food” is an initiative of the Slow Food Youth Network and young farmer organizations. It aims to scale down the complexity of European food policies, so as to go ‘back to basics’ by creating direct links between food producers and consumers. Michele Galatola, policy officer at the Eco-Innovation & Circular Economy Unit of the Directorate-General for the Environment, will participate as key speaker.

The Soil is Used Up: (Saturday, October 25)

Land, in particular fertile land, is not a renewable resource. In Italy alone, a surface area of almost 22,000 kilometers has now been permanently compromised. Despite this fact, infrastructure continues to be built, destroying soils and leaving mountains and riverbeds inert. The conference is chaired by Luca Martinelli, journalist of Altreconomia Italy, and will see the participation of Pia Bucella, Director of the Natural Capital Directorate at the Directorate-General for the Environment. The other speakers include: Michele Munafò, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA); Andrea Chemello, Mayor of Tronzano Vercellese, Italy; Francesca Rocchi, Vice-president of Slow Food Italy; and Stefano Salvi, Salviamo il Paesaggio Forum.

The Ark of Flavors to Save: (Saturday, October 25)

Industrial agriculture is drastically reducing today’s variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, cheeses and more. Everyone knows that the Bengal tiger needs to be saved, but the Itamba Cowpea from Kenya and the Kabog Millet from the Philippines are also precious and staples for the communities that grow them. The Ark of Taste is a living catalog of the immense heritage of biodiversity at risk of extinction and promotes the work of many local communities essential for preservation. Pia Bucella, Director of the Natural Capital Directorate at the Directorate-General for the Environment, will intervene as conference speaker.

The European Union co-organizes two conferences about animal welfare:

Animal Welfare: The Pleasure of Respecting Rights: (Friday, October 24):

Animal husbandry and animal welfare are inextricably linked with ethical, political, economic and social issues. The conference will discuss how to produce and consume animal products that are ethically and culturally sustainable. The conference is chaired by Piero Sardo, President Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, and will have Andrea Gavinelli, Head of the Animal Welfare Unit at the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers, as a speaker. The other conference speakers are: Daniela Battaglia, Livestock Production Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Elisa Bianco, Compassion in World Farming Italy; and Silvio Greco, professor at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo.

Animal welfare: how farmers can benefit from it (Monday, October 27)

We have to start eating less meat, of higher quality, from local, sustainable sources. Hear more from small-scale farmers working to promote native breeds and a natural diet. Farmers and veterinarians from Spain, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Chile and Brazil will be the key speakers.

In addition to the European Commission’s physical presence at Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre, Slow Food gratefully acknowledges funding support from the European Commission within the framework of the Directorate-General Environment NGOs Operating Grant towards the realization of Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre.

For further information please contact:

℅ Slow Food Paola Nano, +39 329 8321285 [email protected]

c/o Regione Piemonte: Tel. +39 011 4322549 [email protected]

c/o Comune di Torino: Tel. +39 011 4423605 [email protected]

Organized by Slow Food, the region of Piedmont and the city of Turin, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, the international Salone del Gusto event is coming back to Turin, Italy, now its 10^th year. Dedicated to the world of food, Salone del Gusto is once more united into a single event with the international meeting of Terra Madre, a network of small-scale producers from around the world. Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre 2014 will be held from October 23-27 in Turin’s trade fair Lingotto Fiere. It will see the presence of over 1000 exhibitors from 130 countries.