Italy's Tuscany and Calabria regions push ahead with agricultural reforms

The Tuscany regional council approved a comprehensive agriculture and rural development law that creates a permanent agriculture council, strengthens anti‑caporalato measures, simplifies procedures and modernises inspections. The text also expands agritourism, animal‑welfare and support for sectors such as apiculture, fisheries, forest, truffle cultivation and disaster‑affected farms. Democratic Party provincial secretary Giacomo Termine praised the proposal, noting the role of Leonardo Marras and President Eugenio Giani in delivering the reforms for the Maremma area.

In Calabria, a coalition of the Association Rurale Italiana, the Della Terra cooperative and other partners launched the process to establish a Regional Network of Social Agriculture. Engineer Salvatore Orlando and cooperative president Nino Quaranta highlighted the network’s focus on agroecology, workers’ rights and the reclamation of lands seized from the mafia, aiming to formalise the initiative within months and provide a model for other Italian regions.