Diego Redini: WWF climate change witness

Diego Redini is a young Italian farmer who, along with his cousin Fabio, owns and runs a cattle farm that produces milk and fodder crops. Redini, who is 29, was chosen by WWF as a witness for their Generation-Climate campaign which launched an appeal to world leaders who gathered in Hokkaido, Japan to discuss climate change and nutrition. Which is why he sent the Prime Minister a video letter: “I sent the message to describe my experience. I simply spoke about the effects of climate changes that I notice first hand in my work as a farmer”.

What did you say?
What I have seen over the course of the past years. Although I am not that old I always helped on the farm, ever since I was a child and I have a real feel of the situation. Our enterprise has two activities: we cultivate lands and breed animals, including cows for dairy. Our milk is then used to
produce parmesan. We have observed that there is a significant worsening of the condition of our animals during the summer.

In practice what does this mean?

The increase of the humidity rate weighs them down significantly. Cows suffer incredibly from that increase. Which obviously influences the enterprise: an animal that suffers excessive heat eats less food, drinks a lot, feels weaker and in the end not only produces less milk, but also the produced milk is of lesser quality. As if it were ‘lighter’. With a lower percentage of proteins. We noted a decrease of more than 10% in the production of milk from cows our in stables.

This suffering has been a sign…
Yes. Every year we have to take into account economic losses caused by the heat. Without counting that the herd is stressed, that the animals are weaker and therefore more subject to disease.

Is this the reason why you invented a cooling system?

 I didn’t invent it, I simply installed it. I was among the first in Italy to use it, but I didn’t discover it. Besides it is not a very demanding thing: it’s a system that sprinkles vapour over the animals. By dampening and drying them we decrease body temperature giving them relief. It’s a system that has been in practice for years in the United States and in Canada

So you didn’t invent it, but you introduced it…
Later others adopted this system too, as it is a common problem. It is not a remedy, but a relief. As entrepreneurs we must take care of the welfare of our animals.

Is this a sign that a new synergy is emerging between enterprise and the environment?
In my opinion it is possible to work in a sustainable way for the environment and for the territory. Especially in our sector. Sustainability means respecting not only your neighbours, therefore
your environment, but also doing something for future generations. After all the earth is the same earth, today and tomorrow. We will pass it on to those who will come after us. If everyone continues to pollute, the system will burst. I think there are big opportunities in this sense. After all this is the direction we must take: fossil fuels are an exhaustible resource, it’s better to opt for solar energy. We have the technological capacity to use alternative sources: solar, wind…

What do you think about biofuels?
I think it’s better to be cautious. Biogas plants that use manure to produce electric energy already exist. It is also possible to use food industry’s waste materials; it is always better to use things that are not useful for food needs. We can’t go and buy palm oil in South America to burn it here.

So we are back to an alliance between the environment and enterprise…
It is possible to be entrepreneurs respecting the environment even in our sector. Not only: it’s the path we must aim at. Farmers manage the territory. They must look after the land, knowing that they will have to entrust it to future generations. Producing and being entrepreneurs respecting the environment is a duty. And there is more: we must continually try to improve ourselves. We are not far from it: we are rightly subject to quite precise rules.

Can you give us a forecast for 2009?
I hope this shift will go on also at an Italian level. In Greece on the roof of all houses there is a thermal solar plant for zero cost heating. In Italy we have enough sun. We have to achieve a sustainability perspective also with regard to waste, to separation of waste besides energy. Young people have understood this. All incentives that go in this direction are welcome.

Find out more: www.panda.org