The FIVI Independent Winegrowers asked for it in a letter sent to ministers Teresa Bellanova and Stefano Patuanelli to draw attention to a new threat coming from the Trump administration. The American government has in fact decided to launch an investigation into the so-called digital tax , i.e. the taxation of digital service activities and the governments that have resolved to apply it, including the European Commission and Italy. As happened in the past in the case of the Boeing / Airbus dispute, the United States could decide again to apply very heavy duties on European agri-food products.
FIVI asks that the entry into force of the digital tax be postponed and that this decision is taken together with the other countries within the OECD (Organization for economic cooperation and development) to prevent Italian products from being taxed in retaliation.
In the document declaring the start of the new investigation phase starting from June 2020, no reference is made yet to which products could be subject to new duties, but the risk that Italian wine will be affected is very high and concrete.
"In a broader international trade framework, we believe that the strategy of tariffs and retaliation is the least desirable for the recovery of the global economy - declares Matilde Poggi , president of FIVI - The Italian Independent Winegrowers have as their main outlet markets l wine tourism and Italian and foreign catering, channels that have been closed for at least three months. We have continued to work on our farms because the vines must be cultivated, employing manpower in the face of almost zeroed collections. The economic and financial difficulty is great and we cannot afford to impose new duties that would put exports to the USA at risk, the first foreign market for our companies ".
FIVI - Italian Federation of Independent Winegrowers
The Italian Federation of Independent Winegrowers (FIVI) is an association founded in 2008 with the aim of representing the figure of the Winemaker in front of the institutions, promoting the quality and authenticity of Italian wines. By statute, only producers who meet certain specific criteria can join the FIVI: "The FIVI Winemaker cultivates his vineyards, bottles his own wine, personally taking care of his product. He sells all or part of his harvest in the bottle, under his responsibility , with its name and label. "
Currently there are about 1300 associated producers, from all Italian regions, for a total of about 13,000 hectares of vineyards, for an average of about 10 hectares of vineyards per farm. Almost 95 million bottles are sold and the total turnover is close to 0.8 billion euros, for an export value of 330 million euros. The 13,000 hectares of vineyards are conducted 51% in a biological / biodynamic regime and 49% according to the principles of integrated pest management.
