Solidarity with the opponents of biogas in Trebaseleghe

As an organic farmer and as president of the El Tamiso Agricultural Cooperative, I would like to express solidarity with the (only...) two opposition advisors who in Trebaseleghe are opposing the 4th plant for the production of biogas, from agricultural productions, in the municipal territory.
It is surprising to read about so many subjects launched on this umpteenth achievement, mayor in the lead, in the face of the seriousness of the indications of great danger of the “industrial” use that is made of these plants, for health, the environment and agriculture.
It is true, and it is not a coincidence, that very little information is available on the subject, because I believe that if citizens realized the seriousness of the matter, they would have a much different interest.
Just remember that:
- This method of producing electricity, from “renewable” sources, was designed on the scale of a farm, which wanted to value processing waste, sewage, etc. etc. for energy purposes, and enjoys a good incentive, deriving from everyone's electricity bills (about 0.28 cents/kw);

- The so-called “digestate” is what remains after anaerobic fermentation (in the absence of oxygen, that is, essentially a putrefactive process), notoriously rich in various bacteria such as botulinum, tetanus, escherichia coli, etc. etc., as is equally well known that to be scattered in the environment it would have to undergo an “aerobic” fermentation process (in the presence of oxygen).
- All this does not happen: the plants are real industrial activities, in which huge quantities of agricultural products are introduced, taken from the food market; the digestate, properly watered down, is scattered on the land, more or less illegally, also creating strong problems for the vitality of the earth and an obvious concentration of pathogens;
- The entire process, in the absence of a public incentive for renewable energy, would be absolutely at a loss, economically, and especially on an energy level (the entire production cycle involves a great use of non-renewable energy!) ;
- At least in one case, in Veneto, it was ascertained that the digestate was also heavily contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are absolutely toxic, the cause of which is the use of improper substances in the plant;
- Just in Trebaseleghe, a few months ago, dozens of cows died from botulism, and where no one explained where botulinum could come from (if not from the soil... directly or indirectly);
- It is known that in Germany, after the story of the deaths from Escherichia coli in 2011, the biogas system is being impeached;
- Also wanting to leave out the immorality of allocating food and agriculture to these speculative uses, in which often not even farmers are beneficiaries, but companies of various types set up ad hoc, I believe that little information is available also because of the enormous bank indebtedness of these dozens and dozens of companies authorized in Veneto, with long loans, and whose return would be impossible if they had to stop activities, at least for health reasons.
Then let's forget for a moment the deafening silence of the Professional Agricultural Organizations, who know everything and do everything to bring home the 'loaf', but where is the regional 'politics'?
That it is not appropriate to go and see if some politician at the top of the Regional Council has no indirect interests in the design and authorization of the plants?
Or ask President Zaia to account how speculative transactions of this type are justified (... we are talking about cases in which a private entrepreneur brings together 8 agricultural companies and starts 8 plants, within a few months), that it is not appropriate to set some rules that bring the thing back to its original meaning? And to a minimum of respect for the Earth and the Civil Community
Or how do you justify the old slogan “Venetians first” with the photovoltaic system along the Transpolesana, one of the largest in Europe, on the ground, in which projects, labor and obviously the income from the incentive go abroad?
We put the landscape, the land and the money into it.

In this regard, you can learn more by reading the intervention of the No Biogas Citizens Committee (Lazio), and that of Andrea Defranceschi, leader of the Five Star Movement in the Emilia-Romagna region

Franco Zecchinato — franco@eltamiso.it