Lollobrigida to give Irish farm minister a bottle of wine

(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 26 - Farm and Food Sovereignty Minister Francesco Lollobrigida said Thursday he would give his Irish counterpart a bottle of wine at an EU meet Monday to assure him Italy has no intention of damaging his health amid Italian resistance to proposed Irish health warnings on wine bottles.
    Lollobrigida said he would be seeing Charlie McConalogue at an Agrifish summit in Brussels and would "put to him our arguments, confident we can find points of agreement and overcome our differences".
    Italy says it may refer the Irish plans to the World Trade Organization saying health warnings on wine are excessive and only the abuse of alcohol can cause liver disease and cancer, while moderate tippling is good for you.
    Lollobrigida said he would help McConalogue to understand Italy's opposition to the labels "also by gifting him a bottle of wine so that he can see we have no intention of harming his health".
    The health warnings on wine bottles proposed by Ireland amount to an "unacceptable stigma" which Italy will combat in consultation with other major producers like France and Spain, Lollobrigida said.
    Lollobrigida, grand-nephew of the late screen diva Gina, said he would liaise with Health Minister Orazio Schillaci on how to block the Irish labels.
    "Our position is clear. Any labelling that envisages stigma on the effects of wine on human health is unacceptable. We want to re-etsblish the truth. The Irish measure is not justifiable by any scientific evidence," said Lollobrigida, who has previously noted the positive health effects of a moderate use of wine.
    He said Rome would "open channels with France and Spain" on this battle. (ANSA).