COMENIUS PROJECT 2013-2015

CRISIS ? WHAT CRISIS?

An Interview with Sonia Spagnoli,

Owner of her father’s farm

1- Is there a financial crisis in Europe?

Oh yes, there is a crisis in Italy and Europe.

2- How does it affect your business?

We feel the crisis especially during the winter, when we have to buy fodder from other big farms. The price of fodder is high, it depends on the market fluctuations. There are lots of competitors selling the same products as ours.

2- How does it affect your business?

Some firms have got low prices but our production costs are higher, so we have to negotiate. We also sell our products to restaurants, the income now is around € 2,000 a year but in the past it was more or less €5,000.

3- What do you do to overcome the crisis?Over the years we had lots of supplies because we bought quantities of fodder when the prices were good even if we had the problem of storage because the fodder has to stay in a dry place.

3- What do you do to overcome the crisis?

To overcome the crisis we need to: offer our customers a high quality product keep loyal customers, so that we can manage improve relations with the institutions maintain and improve the image of the farm be involved in promotional campaigns for wine and food have positive newspaper articles by food and wine critics

4- How could this crisis be avoided and what would your advice be to the young people of Europe?

This crisis is a difficult problem to solve. Every day we have new rules to observe according to law. There are also lots of norms of production and sometimes the costs are high. All the farms must keep up with the times.

4- How could this crisis be avoided and what would your advice be to the young people of Europe?

To young Europeans I say: not to lose heart not to lose the will to work be positive be innovative to let your activity be alive study attend lifelong learning coursesOur work has ethical and human values to pass on and it gives us great satisfaction.

5- Did you have to sell any of your cattle because of the crisis?

No we don’t. Even if once, families could buy a whole calf, now they go to the butcher to buy small quantities. Sometimes we have to sell our meat at only €1 or €1.50 a kilo.

5- Did you have to sell any of your cattle because of the crisis?

Sonia is the owner since 2010 and she has made improvements to her farm.Her large family can live with the incomes: mother, father, seven brothers and sisters and a few helpers.

5- Did you have to sell any of your cattle because of the crisis?

She spends every summer with her cattle in the mountain called “Malga Val Gabbia” and she goes back home at the end of November.She has 60 head of cattle in her farm but in summer she has to take care of 130 head of cattle in 178 hectares of pasture.