PDO, PGI and TSG, Italy first in Europe
PDO, PGI and TSG: Italy is confirmed as the first country in Europe for the number of awards assigned by the EU to quality agri-food products. The report released at the end of 2016 by ISTAT quantifies 278 certifications (9 more than in 2014), 113 more than in 2008. The European certification attests to the strong link between agri-food excellence and territory of origin, a widely diffused character along the Peninsula.
In Italy, the sectors with the highest number of certified agricultural products are: fruit and vegetables and cereals (106 products, +3 compared to the previous survey), cheeses (51: +2), extra virgin olive oils (43: no change) , meat preparations (40: +2) and bakery products (10: +2). Fresh meat and other sectors include 5 and 33 specialties respectively.
There are 80.010 certified operators. Almost all of them (91,1%) carry out exclusively production activities, 5,7% transform; the remaining 3,2% carry out both activities. Over three quarters of producers (75,9%) are active in mountain and hilly areas, the remaining 24,1% work in the plains.
The Italian regions with the highest number of certified products are Emilia-Romagna (42), Veneto (36), Lombardy (32), Sicily (29), Tuscany (28), Lazio (26), Piedmont and Campania (both with 22).