ROME — The first version of the hallowed FAO 70th year book was among the documents that had to be destroyed and re-written from scratch due to the poor language skills of the UN agency’s communications team run by a Spanish-dominated clique, FAO sources said.

 The final recast version of the promotional book “tells the story of these seven decades of the history of FAO, its protagonists and their endeavours.” 

 The blurb goes on to say that “The book is also a record of the Organization’s 10 success stories, for example, the eradication of bovine rinderpest; the Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources, a vital agreement to ensure the planet’s biodiversity, and the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, which is essential for the conservation of the marine ecosystem.”

 The difficult genesis of the book evidently could not be counted a success, however. And while the blurb claims that “this is, in short, a book for everyone, designed in an attractive way and written in simple language that is easily understood,” its first version was unintelligible.

 It is not know how much the scrapping of the first version cost the organization in donor funds.

 Another major publication by FAO celebrating its 2016 year of International Pulses also had to be destroyed and re-written due to the pisspoor skills of many in the bloated communications division, the sources said.