In 2013, an ambitious project was launched in the Po Valley to certify the sustainability of cereals (according to an innovative certification scheme developed by CSQA on sustainability - DTP 112 Sustainable cereals and oilseeds) and oilseeds (according to a pilot project which envisaged the integration of standards relating to traceability, GMO Free and environmental sustainability). The certification involved a total of over 20,000 farms, more than 50 drying plants and the main industries of the sector.
The first certifications were issued to:
- Cereal Docks SPA : the main oilseed pressing industry in Italy has subjected white corn to certification for a supply chain of around 1,000 farms and soy flour for around 12,000 farms ;
- Ital Green Oil Srl: the company of the Marseglia Group (leader in the production of green energy from liquid biomass and also present in the real estate, tourism and financial sectors ) has chosen to certify the soy flour supply chain involving around 9,000 farms ;
- Negri Srl : the first drying and storage center that independently obtained the certification of white corn with 50 farms ;
- Consorzio Maiscoltori Cerealicoltori Basso Livenza Srl: drying and storage center which has certified white corn involving around 18 farms .
Why a voluntary standard on sustainability
The DTP 112 was born from the need to respond to the request of the main operators in the international distribution sector and in the animal feed sector to have sustainable products of national origin.
The standard was born from a sharing process among the various stakeholders with the aim of defining cultivation and processing techniques aimed at producing cereals and oilseeds (and their derivatives) at the best of known practices in order to guarantee a sustainable product according to the three fundamental pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic, social.
Sustainability indicators
The standard provides for various sustainability indicators: integrated pest management, soil sustainability, absence of GMOs, management of contaminants, traceability, safety in the workplace, work contracts, recognition of a fair price for farmers, carbon footprint.
The standard also includes two optional indicators such as water footprint and integrated production.
“ Through CSQA's voluntary standard – declared Maria Chiara Ferrarese, Head of CSQA's Planning & Innovation sector – the supply chain, coordinated by the control body, intended to define a univocal, harmonised, shared approach to sustainability. The fact that the standard was born on the basis of real market needs and opportunities and that the various operators in the supply chain have worked together to arrive at a shared result are elements of indisputable value. The goal now is to certify against DTP 112 not only the cereal supply chains but also those of Italian oilseeds, considering that Italy is the main soybean producer at European level. The certified companies, according to the pilot project in 2013, represented about ¼ of the national soy production and it is expected to achieve certification according to DTP 112 of almost all of the production in a short time”.
"This standard - declares Pietro Bonato, General Manager of CSQA - has a strategic importance for the supply chains because it allows, on the one hand, to enhance products that were indistinct up to now, and on the other to start the processes of innovation, organization of the agri-food supply chains, sustainable management of natural resources in line with the new CAP".
CSQA is the leading Italian certification company in the agri-food sector of Made in Italy excellence. For more than twenty years it has been offering an international and accredited certification service, which ranges from regulated and voluntary product certifications to management systems, such as quality, environment, energy, occupational safety, information security and social responsibility.
Rome, July 29, 2014