A joint investigation conducted by the Carabinieri of the Bitti Company, by the personnel of the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Agricultural Policies, for the repression of agri-food fraud of Sassari, and by the veterinary doctors of the ASL n.3 of Nuoro, led to the discovery of irregularities in some agricultural companies located in the Municipality of Lula .
The contested companies allegedly did not respect the strict regulations governing the production of Sardinian sheep with the PGI (Protected Geographical Identification) designation , thus unduly obtaining European funds .
The investigations revealed that the companies did not correctly follow the provisions of the production specification for PGI sheep farms. As a result, administrative sanctions totaling 12,700 euros were imposed, while operations were activated to recover the premiums unduly received by the paying agency Argea. The PGI designation for Sardinian sheep is reserved for sheep raised according to specific and rigorous production standards, which guarantee the quality and authenticity of the product.
When these rules are respected, livestock farms can benefit from agricultural awards from the European Union, as an incentive to produce products that protect and enhance the Sardinian agri-food tradition. The violations detected concern amounts of less than 5,000 euros in the period 2020-2024, but the authorities do not exclude further checks for other companies involved in the production of the PGI Sardinian sheep.
