Farm Minister Francesco Lollobrigida on Wednesday announced three new crimes against agri-food fraud linked to the next budget bill.
The measures are part of a fresh crackdown on Italian sounding items such as 'parmisan' and other fraud in the agri-food sector, he said.
The three new crimes to be introduced will focus on transparency in distribution rules, sanctions commensurate with the company's turnover and recognition of the control room for controls, announced the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, illustrating in a press conference at Palazzo Chigi, the approval of a measure included in the Budget Bill.
"Simplification for honest operators and zero tolerance for those who do not respect the rules", he said.
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio told the press conference: "Three new crimes have been introduced that fill gaps in criminal protection and send a signal of extreme attention to protected goods: one is the trade of food with false signs, the other is food fraud and the third is 'agropiracy', a new crime that affects fraudulent cases where there is a setup and organized activities in a lasting way. For these crimes we extend the possibility of wiretapping and undercover activities.
It is an important signal in the need to protect the good faith of the consumer".
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