The draft law of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food “Control procedures, administrative measures and sanctions in the field of agricultural products and food with Protected Designations of Origin, Protected Geographical Indications and Guaranteed Traditional Identical Products” was voted today by the Plenary.

The bill was submitted under Regulation 2024/1143 “on geographical indications for wine, alcoholic beverages and agricultural products, as well as on guaranteed traditional idiosyncratic products and optional quality indications for agricultural products”. The new provisions regulate matters of competence and control system, administrative measures and fines and define as national control authorities, the Directorate of Quality Systems and Organic Agriculture of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food (“central competent authority”) and the “GREEN AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATION – DIMITRA (EL.GO. – DIMITRA)”. The control system includes compliance with the specifications of protected products by ELGO-DIMITRA, while inclusion in the “Register of Approved Businesses and Beneficiaries of Use of Indications of Protected Designation of Origin, Protected Geographical Indication and Guaranteed Traditional Unique Products” will entail specific obligations for the participating enterprises of production, packaging and marketing of protected products.

“The bill ensures efficiency and transparency in controls, protects the quality and reliability of Greek products, supports our producers in practice, contributes to consumer protection and strengthens the competitiveness of Greek agricultural products. It shields the national economy with perspective and momentum”, said ND rapporteur Giorgos Stylios and underlined that New Democracy and the government stand by Greek producers, providing them with the support they need to maintain and highlight the high quality of PDO products , PGI and EPIP both in the domestic and European market.

A common point of the positions of the opposition MPs was that the government does not have a strategic plan for supporting agricultural income and overcoming the successive crises that have victimized the agricultural world in recent years. They pointed out at the same time that ELGO-DIMITRA, with its serious operational problems, is unable to cope under the current conditions and will not be able to carry out effective audits, without hiring staff and without electronic support. They also reported that the penalties are unclear in many cases.

In the previous days, at the stage of drafting the bill, in the Production and Trade Committee of the Parliament, the ND was in favor of the principle of the bill. KKE, New Left and “Niki” voted against. The other opposition parties expressed reservations about their final position in the Plenary.

“There is no plan to protect agricultural income,” said SYRIZA rapporteur Vassilis Kokkalis and underlined that the Greekization phenomenon has not been solved, although it is destroying agricultural income. Referring to the bill, Mr. Kokkalis said that “criminal sanctions are absent, the obligation to publicize the offender is absent. The responsibility of the company’s shareholders is absent and the high fines are also absent.”

The special buyer of PASOK, Christina Staraka, referred to the need for a single authority to control and impose penalties and fines for offenders. “The ELGO cannot control, the Ministry of Rural Development can impose the fine, while the EFET can also carry out controls at the same time. It is a mess and the result of this is that the fragmentation of responsibilities creates bureaucracy, legal uncertainty and above all impunity”, said the PASOK special buyer who called on the government to take measures to protect the primary sector and agricultural income.

“The government and the other parties may promote PDO products as a way out for the survival of the farmer and the breeder, but in fact this policy serves and protects the monopolies of the marketing and processing of agricultural products, which spoil the toil of its bio-wrestlers countryside”, said KKE’s special buyer Konstantinos Metaxas.

“We don’t see a bill to actually support agricultural income and the new farmer while today while 650,000 farmers are at risk,” said Greek Solution specialist buyer Konstantinos Boubas.

New Left buyer expert Zeibek Hussain accused the government of treating the farming world as the last wheel in the wagon and called the bill incomplete, although PDO products can be a comparative advantage for the country.

The special buyer of “Niki” Nikos Vrettos said that the government, with the bills it brings, serves foreign multinational agricultural companies, since the product of Greekization produced in Turkey is sold illegally in the country.

The special buyer of Freedom of Navigation, Tzortzia Kefala, said that the bill lacks effective regulations to prevent Greekisation and effective controls, for the adequate support of Greek PDOs.

The special buyer of the “Spartians” Petros Dimitriadis said that the bill does not provide for substantial and effective controls, since ELGO DIMITRA, without recruitment and infrastructure, will not be able to respond.