A/HRC/43/44/Add.6 production and use of counterfeit dangerous pesticides in many parts of Italy. The respect of the right to food requires a stronger intervention to halt import, production and use of illegal pesticides that have negative effects on workers and consumers’ health, along with a reliable system of sanitary support for anyone directly exposed to toxic products. 31 87. Agricultural workers from different parts of the country have reported that pesticides are abundantly used in green houses, and are applied offering little to no protection and warning of health risks to agriculture workers. A number of cases of intoxication were reported, which included burnt skin while spraying the product, respiratory diseases, genetic disorders and premature births. These latter cases are highly difficult to prove, as in many instances, health hazards are not immediately present, and doctors are not trained to detect such impacts. Workers also reported that employers do not offer protective equipment, leaving to the worker the burden to purchase appropriate working gear. 88. Italy should avoid adopting quick-fix solutions or intensifying conventional farming, the use of pesticides32 or considering the possibility of genetically modified crops. None of these solutions would be compatible with human rights’ obligations and sustainability. On the contrary, there is a “need for a major shift from industrial agriculture to transformative systems such as agro-ecology that support the local food movement, protect small holder farmers, respect human rights, food democracy and cultural traditions, and at the same time maintain environmental sustainability and facilitate a healthy diet.” 33 Comments: What has been affirmed is poorly documented, claims should be justified. Ministerial experts deny the connection (made in the draft report) between the use of pesticides and the spread of Xylella fastidiosa bacterium in the Apulia region. Furthermore, it should be noted that the official document quoted in footnote does not refer to Italy (as it gives universal indications) and contains no connection between the desiccation of the olive trees and alleged “high levels of pesticides and fertilizers in the area”. We therefore ask you to explain the reasons for associating, both in the title and in the text, a serious imported pest such as Xylella with contamination from pesticides 89. Pesticides have been employed in the South to deal with the disease, known as the the Xylella fastidiosa that affected olive trees in the Apulia region. National policies 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.34 Comments: There are many national and international studies, that have shown the correlation between dissection of the trees and CoDiRO, the Xf strain associated with Apulian outbreak. One for all, Pilot project on Xylella fastidiosa to reduce risk assessment uncertainties, of Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council of Italy, CNR First published in EFSA Supporting Publications. The short and long-term implications of the desiccation may radically transform the agricultural texture of the region, and it is essential that national, regional and local measures are adopted in full coordination with farmers and with particular attention to the environmental, social and economic impact of the decision. 31 32 33 34 16 A/HRC/34/48. Ministero delle politiche agricole alimentari e forestali (2019), Cimice asiatica, Bellanova alla Ue: "Grave errore la mancata autorizzazione. Serve deroga nazionale per tutela dei nostri agricoltori", Roma, MPAAF. A/70/287, para 87. Ministero delle politiche agricole alimentaryi e forestali (2015) Relazione sullo stato di attuazione delle Misure di contrasto alla Xylella fastidiosa.