A/HRC/43/44/Add.5 products (for further information, see A/HRC/34/48). In Italy, representatives from the relevant ministries have indicated that preventive measures were being implemented to eliminate such practices. Additional efforts, such as vigorous monitoring and having sufficient human and financial resources, would be helpful. 64. Italy should avoid intensifying conventional farming or considering the possibility of genetically modified crops.30 There is a need for a major shift from industrial agriculture to transformative systems such as agroecology that support the local food movement, protect smallholders, respect human rights, food democracy and cultural traditions, and at the same time maintain environmental sustainability and facilitate a healthy diet (A/70/287, para. 87). 65. When Xylella fastidiosa affected olive trees in the region of Apulia, farmers and researchers in the region claimed, unlike the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, pesticides had been employed in the south to deal with the disease. National policies on, and decisions taken in the context of, the “Xylella emergency” have not led to a clear assessment of the link between the presence of the bacteria, the desiccation of the trees, and other circumstances such as climate change, monoculture, and high levels of pesticides and fertilizers in the area.31 The short- and long-term implications of the desiccation may radically transform the agricultural landscape of the region. It is essential that national, regional and local measures be adopted in full coordination with farmers and with attention paid to the environmental, social and economic impacts of the decision. 66. Farmers and independent researchers reported that the Government’s response to the disease had been mainly to cut sick trees or to spray massive quantities of pesticides in the affected areas, which had devastating impacts on smallholders. Financial support should be aimed at the most vulnerable actors, while any form of material intervention should consider the impact on biodiversity, productivity, the use of the territory, the permanence of smallscale farmers on the land and sustainability. Agroecological, organic and natural remedies that keep the olive trees in the ground are preferred over chemical interventions and eradication. Adopting a sustainable and pro small-scale farmer approach to the growing number of desiccated olive trees should be the priority in dealing with the emergency. F. Criminal activities 67. In some meetings, the infiltration of organized crime into the Italian agricultural and food production sectors was reported to the Special Rapporteur as a major concern for smallholder farmers and food producers.32 68. The best known example is the “terra dei fuochi” (“land of fires”) case in Campania, where contaminating products are dumped in rural areas, burned or poured into rivers. The severity and long-term consequences of environmental crimes involving the illegal disposal of waste on agricultural land and the contamination of waters have a significant impact on the planet and the people exposed to them. The Special Rapporteur is concerned by this situation, in particular regarding the process of remediation of contaminated land, the lack of support for smallholders who continue to be affected by criminal activities, and the citizens whose health has been compromised.33 In November 2018, the Minister of the Environment signed a protocol on urgent action for the “terra dei fuochi” to provide a concrete response to the phenomenon of waste burning in the region of Campania. 30 31 32 33 Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, “Cimice asiatica, Bellanova alla Ue: ‘Grave errore la mancata autorizzazione’. Serve deroga nazionale per tutela dei nostri agricoltori” (2019). Available at www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/14765. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, “Relazione sullo stato di attuazione delle misure di contrasto alla Xylella fastidiosa” (2015). Available at www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/8869. Eurispes, Coldiretti and Osservatorio sulla Criminalità nell’Agroalimentare, “Agromafie: 6° rapporto sui crimini agroalimentari in Italia” (2019). Iris Maria Forte and others, “Blood screening for heavy metals and organic pollutants in cancer patients exposed to toxic waste in southern Italy: a pilot study”, Journal of Cellular Physiology, vol. 235, No. 12 (December 2019). 11