Public Administration and Agromafia: Administrative Law Profiles between Coordination, Prevention, and Control in the Agri-food Sector

The phenomenon of “agromafias” – the infiltration of organized crime into the agri-food supply chain – represents one of the most insidious threats to economic legality and environmental protection. In this context, administrative law emerges as a key instrument not only in repressing illegality but, above all, in preventing it. This analysis highlights how the Italian administrative apparatus – spanning both central and local levels – is currently facing a dual challenge: effectively coordinating the actors involved in managing, monitoring, and planning the agri-food sector, while simultaneously ensuring transparency, legality, and sustainability in public policy. Tools such as anti-mafia interdiction orders, collaborative prevention measures, whitelists, legality protocols, and Minimum Environmental Criteria (MEC) applied to public food procurement demonstrate the anticipatory and strategic role that administrative law plays in combating agromafias. Preventive action is not limited to excluding colluding economic operators but extends to promoting sustainable practices, overseeing the use of EU funds (CAP), and integrating environmental regulations, food safety, and labor protection. The fight against agromafias requires multi-level, integrated governance based on the principles of subsidiarity, coordination, and precaution, with public administration playing a crucial role in shaping effective and resilient policies. Ultimately, administrative law – far from being a mere regulatory framework – acts as a dynamic tool for building legality and safeguarding the public interest in a sector vital to the country’s sustainable development.