Justice has been done. Witch doctors and conspiracy theorists must face the facts. Now the fight against Xylella and the search for a definitive solution to the effects and spread of the bacterium must resume with renewed vigor, supporting scientific research and aiming to restore olive oil production potential in all affected areas.
È Gennaro Sicolo, as president of Italia Olivicola and of CIA Italian Farmers of Puglia, to comment with satisfaction on the shelving of the accusations made by conspiracy theorists and deniers against Donato Boscia, former director of the Institute for Plant Protection of the CNRThe charges alleged serious crimes against Boscia in relation to his efforts in recent years to combat the spread of Xylella. “As the provision in question demonstrates”, adds Sicolo, We opposed the actions of witch doctors and conspiracy theorists from the beginning, and even more vigorously from 2018 to 2022, in support of Boscia, denouncing how those actions were slowing down and hindering the plan to combat Xylella. We denounced the delays those actions were causing, hoping that the institutions' actions would be guided by the results of scientific studies conducted in the field.
“The dismissal of all charges”, continues Sicolo, It demonstrates once again, and we hope definitively, that seeking scapegoats and giving credence to denialist and conspiracy theories has been a completely foolish and harmful course of action on the part of those who have dedicated themselves to it for years and years, instead of supporting science and helping those who for over a decade have been working silently, without shouting, with commitment, dedication, and sacrifice, trying to build a barrier against the further advance of Xylella. The position of Italia Olivicola and CIA Agricoltori Italiani di Puglia is clear: enough with the conspiracy theories, let's all work together to find a real and effective solution to a huge and complex problem, and let's do it in the exclusive interest of the entire olive oil sector., concluded Sicolo.
