Government rectifies Ordinance and farmers do not need a specialized technician

In a letter sent to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, CannaCasa said that “by reading the various paragraphs present in number 1 of article 3, it appears that al. m), “Full address and geographic location by coordinates of the facilities where the product is stored”, configures ipsis verbis the only one of the requirements so far required by DGAV not included in Ordinance 83/2021, being al. n) from the same ordinance “Proof of technical qualification of the technician in charge adequate to the exercise of the activity, in order to guarantee the management and ensure the quality of the activities carried out” completely new. In fact, this requirement had never been required for the activity in question.”

CannaCasa alerted the Council of Ministers to the error, saying that “it is our understanding that the publication of Ordinance 83/2021 incorporated, in number 2 of article 3, a lapse in relation to the instruction requirements for the authorization of the cultivation of cannabis for industrial purposes, namely in the incorrect inclusion of al. n), when we believe that al. m).”

Less than a month later, the Declaration of Rectification No. 15/2021, which replaces “item n) Proof of technical qualification of the technical person in charge appropriate to the exercise of the activity, in order to guarantee the management and ensure the quality of the activities carried out” by “m) Complete address and geographic location by coordinates of the facilities where the product is stored”.

Despite seeming irrelevant, the change is extremely important, as the requirement for a technician could make hemp cultivation unfeasible for the vast majority of farmers.