Coldiretti Puglia protests wheat imports and grain origin claims

Coldiretti Puglia has announced new mobilizations for cereal farmers following a dispute with flour industrialist Francesco Casillo regarding the quality and origin of wheat used in pasta production.

The conflict stems from Casillo’s reported assertion that ‘pasta is good not because it is made with Italian wheat.’ Coldiretti Puglia condemned these remarks as an offense to the dignity of Italian farmers and an attempt to devalue domestic grain. The organization accused certain industrialists of using the Italian flag on products made with undisclosed foreign wheat to avoid transparency.

Furthermore, the group raised concerns regarding the economic impact of high imports of durum wheat, particularly from Canada. They specifically highlighted health concerns regarding the use of the herbicide glyphosate in Canadian wheat, a practice prohibited in the European Union.