It was a referendum observed with considerable interest by many municipalities and provinces in Europe. In Malles, in Val Venosta, 75 percent of those eligible voted for a ban on chemical pesticides. In the idyllic town of five thousand inhabitants, along the ancient Via Claudia Augusta, the referendum caused a sort of creeping war between the two fronts. Pharmacist Johannes Fragner, one of the promoters, says: “The verbal attacks began, then came the damage to the gardens and family graves and the defamations. Everything has been reported to the police, who have also protected us with night patrols.” For several years, in the upper Vinschgau Valley, a group of environmentalists criticizes the unstoppable advance of apple monoculture and has been fighting to reduce the use of chemistry in the area's orchards. Pesticides have put several organic farms in difficulty, whose hay was contaminated by the treatments practiced in neighboring orchards. Often the strong tramontana of the Malles plain moves the poisonous clouds between the rows to the adjoining land. In a hay sample taken a few meters from an elementary school, residues of nine poisonous fungicides and insecticides were found. In 2013, the promoters of the committee “Malles, a municipality free from pesticides” collected 500 signatures to include in the municipality's statute an article on the precautionary principle for the protection of the health of citizens and the sustainable management of the environment. The referendum triggered the alarm of those who support the validity of the use of these products. The Bauernbund, the powerful South Tyrolean Colverdi, has opened a barrage. The province has quickly launched a package of preventive measures on the use of pesticides in agriculture. A group of lawyers offered to challenge the legitimacy of the popular consultation. All in vain. On September 6, when the polls closed, the promoters were able to celebrate their clear success. But they preferred to reach out to their opponents: “We are ready to talk.” Many consider the referendum to be a turning point for agriculture in the Alps. The five-star MEPs Borelli, Zullo and Evi from Brussels went to Malles for an inspection: “It's an example to study and replicate.” (taken from
Internazionale).
