If you happen to travel to the island around November 11, the day dedicated by the catholic church to Saint Martin, look for signs announcing the local Festa del Vino or "Festival of the Wine". Presented by Alessandro Sorbello http://www.alessandrosorbello.com It is believed that on this date the new wine is ready for consumption, hence the saying: Il giorno di San Martino il mosto diventa vino or "On Saint Martin's Day the grape juice becomes wine". In 2005, after a period of stagnation the number of farms and the land under organic management went up again. Currently more than one million hectares of Italys agricultural land is organic. In 2003 and 2004, the number of organic farms in Italy had decreased. Especially in Southern Italy and on the Islands (Sicily, Sardinia) in the past years many farms converted to organic farming / not because of market or ecological reasons, but mainly because of the state subsidies. In some regions aids are not available any more, and many farms have left the organic control system. It has to be said though, that for the most part they continue farming organically, even though they are selling their products with no label in the non-organic market. It is of interest that no market oriented farm went back to the conventional system. History and Statistical Development of Organic Farming - In Italy the earliest pioneering experiences in organic agriculture date back to the nineteen-sixties, but only took off in the nineteen-seventies, involving more and more farmers and consumers seeking an improved quality of life and consumption. During the mid eighties, the first local coordination agencies established the "Commissione Nazionale Cos'è Biologico" (National Commission for Organic Agriculture). Made up of representatives of organisations and consumers' associations from each Italian region, the Commission established the first nation-wide self-regulatory standards for organic farming. Once EU-Regulation 2092/91 was implemented, the numerous small associations of organic farmers and the producers and consumers committees operating in every region reorganised themselves, joining forces through mergers and a federative network. Today, there are 16 officially recognised certification agencies operating in Italy. In the nineteen-nineties the organic sector in Italy showed one of the largest average annual growth rates in Europe. Between 2002 and 2004 the number of farms, decreased, because in some regions aids were not available any more. Commission clears interventions in the agricultural sector in Sicily The European Commission today decided to clear, subject to conditions, a number of State aid measures in favour of agricultural undertakings in Sicily. The measures aim to provide aid to agricultural undertakings in Sicily through renegotiation of loans, compensation for agri-environmental commitments and compensation for losses caused by adverse weather events. In November 2001, the Commission opened a State aid investigation[1] on a Sicilian regional law providing aid to the agricultural sector in Sicily. Today the Commission closed the procedure by adopting a final positive -- partly conditional -- decision. Aid to compensate for weather-related damages to glasshouses (up to € 10.3 million) as well as aid to consortia towards premia for insurance against natural disasters (up to € 52,000 per consortium) were declared compatible with EU State aid rules. Aid of ca € 13 million for agri-environmental commitments was found compatible under conditions. The commitments were part of Sicily's approved Rural Development programme. The Commission had decided not to co-finance such measures for the year 1999. However, this negative decision had been taken at a stage when Sicilian farmers had already sustained additional costs related to the commitments, which Italy wanted to compensate for through State aid. The Commission cleared the aid on condition that the Italian authorities provide evidence that they have properly controlled respect by farmers of the agri-environmental commitments in question. http://www.sensationalsicily.com

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