The Italian government has opted out of the EU oversight procedure concerning its plan to prohibit the sale of lab-grown meat.
Italy had previously lodged a Technical Regulations Information System (TRIS) notification with the EU, a process designed to forestall trade hindrances within EU member states. The government had submitted this notification to advance its legislation banning the sale of lab-grown food and animal feed, which it had proposed in March.
Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida stated on his Facebook page that the notification has been “retracted as a gesture of respect for the efforts” of Italy’s government.
Nonetheless, his remarks hinted that the exit from the EU procedure might not signify the end of Italy’s intentions to prohibit the sale of lab-grown meat.
“The DDL [the initial phase of a law that is proposed by one or more members of parliament] has already been given the green light in the senate, it has just been approved in the commission of the chamber of deputies and will soon be discussed and, I believe, approved by the chamber of deputies,” he said.
Describing it as “only a matter of form”, Italy has therefore withdrawn the so-called TRIS notification with which the draft law was to be examined by the EU Commission and member states to assess whether the new rules comply with EU law on the single market.
In spite of this, Lollobrigida has asserted that the bill has received approval, dismissing the reports of withdrawing the “disegno di legge” (DDL) as “inaccurate.”
Earlier this year, the European nation passed the bill prohibiting the production of cell-based food and animal feed. This legislation entails that Italian companies are prohibited from manufacturing food or feed “derived from cell cultures or tissues sourced from vertebrate animals.” Violating these regulations could lead to fines of up to €60,000 ($65,022).
Lollobrigida added in his post, “I remind the report’s editorial staff that, as a public service, they should not spread fake news, or at least they should try not to. Not only do I not withdraw the DDL, but I am more convinced than ever that I must follow the indications of the municipalities, the regions (all of them) and the millions of Italian citizens who have explicitly asked us to protect our health and our economy.”
Francesca Gallelli, Italian policy consultant at global food system think tank the Good Food Institute, said: “We hope that the step backwards on the European examination indicates the government’s willingness to modify the text of the bill on cultured meat, guaranteeing compliance with Union law.
“Only a week ago, however, the parliamentary majority rejected all the changes to the text in the House Commission, including those that intended to harmonise the bill with European legislation, resolving its numerous and important critical issues.”
She added, “We hope that Parliament will avoid the adoption of a law that would cause a fragmentation of the European single market and would hinder the sustainable growth of the country, also causing immediate damage to Italian companies in the sector.”