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☆ 'Giorgia, Listen to Us!':Italy's Farmers Call on Meloni for Help
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ROME (Reuters) - Italian farmers descended on central Rome on Thursday to call on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to offer more help to them and block European Union policies they see as detrimental to their industry. A group gathered in the Michelangelo-designed Piazza del Campidoglio, home to Rome's city hall, for a noisy protest featuring cowbells and banners, including one reading "Giorgia, listen to us!" Farmers are a key constituency for Meloni's right-wing coalition, which has a close relationship with the main sector lobby Coldiretti. "We have no relationship with the government so far because it is not giving us help. According to a draft amendment seen by Reuters, due to be approved in parliament, land income up to 10,000 euros ($10,770) will be tax exempt, and there will be a 50% discount for land income in the 10,000-15,000 euro bracket.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Michelangelo, Mattia Buzzone, Maximus, Daniele, Angelo Amante, Alvise Armellini, Keith Weir Organizations: Farmers, Reuters Locations: ROME, Rome, Europe, Poland, France, Germany, Rome's, Sicily

☆ Tractors Drive Past the Colosseum as Italy's Meloni Pledges Tax Help
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Angelo AmanteROME (Reuters) - A convoy of tractors on Friday drove past the landmarks of ancient Rome before Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told a delegation of farmers that the government would partially reintroduce a tax break for them. Four tractors, escorted by police, crossed the city streets and passed in front of the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus, adorned with Italian flags and slogans decrying the EU's green transition. We don't want to create problems, we just want answers as soon as possible," one of the protesters, Luigi Allegrini, said. Coldiretti, the main agricultural lobby, has a close relationship with the government but the current protests are being led by smaller groups. "The government has defended farmers and contested the wrong choices imposed by the European Commission from the very beginning," Meloni told the farmers.

Persons: Angelo Amante ROME, Giorgia Meloni, Maximus, Luigi Allegrini, Roberto Rosati, Meloni, Angelo Amante, Alvise Armellini, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Italian, Farmers, European Commission Locations: Rome, Europe, Spain, Poland

☆ Farmers in Europe Step up Protests Against Rising Costs, Green Rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Farmers say they are not being paid enough, are choked by taxes and green rules and face unfair competition from abroad. French farmers have already won several concessions, including the government dropping plans to gradually reduce subsidies on agricultural diesel. On Wednesday, European Commissioners proposed limiting agricultural imports from Ukraine and greater flexibility on rules on fallow land in a bid to quell protests. In Italy, farmers have blocked traffic with hundreds of tractors near motorway access points near Milan, in Tuscany and elsewhere in recent days. While a deal looks possible on fallow land, the question of talks on a major trade deal with the Mercosur group is more contentious.

Persons: Marco Trujillo, Philip Blenkinsop PARIS, Adelin Desmecht, Gerald Darmanin, Bruno, Coldiretti, Le Maire, Abdul Saboor, Jean, Stephane Brosse, Gus Trompiz, Dominique Vidalon, Benoit van Overstraeten, Geert de Clercq, Charlotte van, Phil Blenikinsop, Alvise Arminelli, Ingrid Melander, Ros Russell Organizations: EU, South, Farmers, Mercosur, French Finance, European Commission, South American, Charlotte van Campenhout Locations: BRUSSELS, Europe, Brussels, Belgian, France, Paris, Belgium, Zeebrugge, Ukraine, Mercosur, Italy, Milan, Tuscany, Bordeaux, Amsterdam

☆ ‘The Climate’s No Good’: The Hunt for White Truffles Gets Pricier
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Bernhard Warner | More About Bernhard Warner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For nearly three hours, their olfactory senses were on high alert for white truffles, a delicacy with soaring prices, in large part because they are under extreme threat by climate change. Gram for gram, the white truffle is one of the most expensive foods on the planet. In Italy, fresh white truffles run as high as 4,500 euros per kilogram (or nearly $2,200 per pound), according to Coldiretti, Italy’s biggest agricultural trade group. Last year, at an auction in Alba, Italy, a one-and-a-half-pound specimen fetched a record price of €184,000 (nearly $200,000). Supply constraints notwithstanding, bidders are set to converge on Alba, Italy’s truffle capital, on Sunday to do it all over again.

Persons: Primo, Scilla Locations: Amandola, Italy, Coldiretti, San Francisco, Trufflephiles, London, Dubai, Alba, Italy’s

Spanish farmer Miguel Moreno was an early adopter of so-called cover crops. Spain's drought-hit olive oil production slumped to 663,000 tonnes last year, less than half the average of 1.45 million tons recorded in the previous four harvests, according to the government. In January, it began subsidising farmers who use cover crops as part of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). She said the company was pushed both by customers such as Walmart in the U.S. and by regulation to buy olive oil from producers using sustainable practices. Ecology professor Manzaneda is also coordinator of EU-funded project SOIL O-LIVE and is testing methods for coaxing Albacete's degraded earth back to health.

Persons: Chiclana de Segura, Jon Nazca, Andrea Ronca, Miguel Moreno, Angel, Dcoop, Gonzalo Delacamara, Emilio Gonzalez, Antonio Manzaneda, Manzaneda, Olive, Syngenta, Luis Miranda, Domingo, Marco Trevisan, Dean, Simone Rech, Catalonia's Cava, Sebastiano Conti, Charlie Devereux, Antonella, Corina Pons, Keith Weir, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, Companies Southern, VILLANUEVA DEL ARZOBISPO, Farmers, European Union, of Nutrition, Plant Science, IE, Water, University of Cordoba, University of Jaen, European, Walmart, Swiss, Syngenta, EU, TECH, Smart, Milan Polytechnic, University of Brescia, of Agricultural Sciences, Catholic University of Piacenza, Thomson Locations: Olive, Chiclana, Jaen, Spain, ROME, Italy, Madrid, European, France, Germany, Mantua, Andalusia, European Union, U.S, ITALY, Treviso, Venice, Sicily

☆ How is Italy solving an invasion of blue crabs? With sauteed garlic and a squeeze of lemon
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Agricultural industry group FedagriPesca estimates that more than half the nation’s clams and mussels were eaten by the blue crab this summer. Culinary solutionA fisherman harvests blue crabs in the lagoon of Scardovari, south of Venice, Italy, on August 11, 2023. Italian farmers’ group Coldiretti suggests serving the blue crab with rosemary in a salad, or with sauteed garlic over spaghetti. Blue crab is fast becoming a feature item at restaurants across the country, primarily as a spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes. Lionello Cera, who runs the two-Michelin-starred Antica Osteria Cera di Campagna Lupia, says he has tried it in various dishes, but will not be putting blue crab on his menu anytime soon.

Persons: Rome, ”, Piero Cruciatti, “, They’ve, ” Enridca Franchi, Coldiretti, Giorgia Meloni, Francesco Lollobrigida, Lollobrigida, ” Gabriella Gibin, Gibin, Lionello Cera, Antica Osteria Cera, Campagna Lupia, fishmonger Organizations: Rome CNN, Getty, UNESCO, University of Siena, CNN Locations: Adriatic, Italy, Scardovari, Venice, AFP, Po Delta, Tuscany, United States, Asia, Rovigo, Roman, Testaccio

☆ Olive oil is in trouble as extreme heat and drought pushes the industry into crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —There is a crisis brewing in the olive oil industry. The situation is all the more concerning as it comes on the heels of a bad olive harvest last year, following Europe’s hottest summer on record. In Spain, the world’s biggest olive oil producer, production plunged to roughly 620,000 metric tons, compared to the five-year average of around 1.3 million metric tons, said Holland. This summer, heat gripped swaths of the Mediterranean region, bringing a “heat hell” scientists say would have been virtually impossible without climate change. “It’s getting to the stage where the concerns are significant not just for olive oil but for a lot of crops,” Holland said.

Persons: Kyle Holland, “, ”, Walter Zanre, Filippo Berio, Carlos Gil, Farmer Cristobal Cano, Jorge Guerrero, Holland, Zanre, ” Holland, It’s, Corey Lesk, Lorenzo Bazzana, Bazzana, Claudia Greco, Burger King, Nicholas Paulson, ” Paulson, “ We’re, ” Lesk Organizations: CNN, Getty, International Olive Council, Dartmouth College, “, Reuters, University of Illinois Locations: Europe, Spain, Holland, Jaen, AFP, Italy, Greece, Emilia, Romagna, Forli, India, South, University of Illinois Urbana, Champaign

☆ Italian farmer battles frost, floods, heat and hail in epic year
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Claudia Greco | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A farmer stands next to a greenhouse in a field covered with cracked solidified mud, in the aftermath of deadly floods in Emilia-Romagna, in Forli, Italy June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Claudia Greco/File PhotoFORLI, Italy, July 20 (Reuters) - Farmer Andrea Ferrini is on the frontline of climate change in Italy and it is hurting. The following month, rains and floods swept the region, killing 15 people, causing billions of euros' worth of damage and hitting agriculture particularly hard. According to the Coldiretti agricultural association, more than 5,000 farms were left under water in the region, which accounts for a third of Italy's fruit harvest, including Ferrini's smallholding. "A farmer prepares all year round for the harvest and then sees his crop destroyed in just a few minutes or a few hours.

Persons: Claudia Greco, Farmer Andrea Ferrini, Ferrini's, Ferrini, Crispian Balmer, Janet Lawrence Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Emilia, Romagna, Forli, Italy, FORLI, Po

ATHENS/ROME, July 13 (Reuters) - Southern Europe sweltered under a fierce heatwave on Thursday, with a warning that temperatures could hit record highs for the continent next week. Health authorities issued a top, red alert warning for 10 Italian cities for the next two days, including Rome, Florence, Bologna and Perugia. Weather forecasts and official records are based on the air temperature which is significantly lower than the land surface reading. The record European temperature of 48.8C was registered in Sicily in August 2021 and could be exceeded next week, according to the European Space Agency. "With this solitude and this heat emergency, we see an explosive mix," he told a press conference.

Persons: Europe's sweltering, Luca Lombroso, Marco Impagliazzo, It's, Michele Kambas, Pietro Lombardi, Emma Pinedo, Keith Weir, Crispian Balmer, Emelia Organizations: Italian Meteorological Society, Health, Agency's Sentinel, European Space Agency, Catholic, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, ROME, Southern Europe, Islands, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Athens, Europe's, Lodi, Rome, Florence, Bologna, Perugia, Spain, Extremadura, Sicily

☆ Fruit harvest faces ruin after floods hit Italy's Emilia-Romagna
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A vineyard is flooded after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in San Giorgio near Forli, Italy, May 18, 2023. Coldiretti said the region was Italy's largest producer of pears, peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums, and the second largest producer of cherries and kiwi. In all, it accounted for a third of Italy's total fruit harvest. A Coldiretti spokesperson said the floodwater could rot the roots of almost 15 million fruit trees, killing them. Italian media said the government would initially announce some 100 million euros ($110 million) in spending and tax breaks for Emilia-Romagna.

☆ Floods ruin crops and drown livestock in one of Italy’s gastronomic heartlands
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“The water then slides away, destroying everything.”What also slid away were orchards, vineyards and crops ready to harvest. A tractor goes off road after flooding outside Ravenna in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy on May 20. Emilia Romagna is one of the richest regions in Italy. Firefighters come to rescue people and recover their belongings after flooding hit the Fornace Zarattini district of Ravenna in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy on May 20. Extreme weather such as what has happened this month in Emilia Romagna is perplexing even to experts.

CNN —Deadly floods that have engulfed the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna, killing at least 14 people, are another sign of the accelerating climate crisis, according to researchers. The floods come after years of severe drought in the region, which has compacted the soil, reducing its ability to abemsorb rainfall. Researchers say the devastation is linked to the climate crisis. The town of Lugo, pictured on Thursday, was left under water following floods that left at least 14 people dead. The climate crisis “is affecting territories with increasingly intense extreme events, with risks to people’s lives, and impacts on the environment and the economy.

[1/6] Firefighters work next to a flooded car, after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in Faenza, Italy, May 18, 2023. "We are facing a new earthquake," Emilia-Romagna President Stefano Bonaccini told reporters, recalling the seismic events that struck the region in 2012, destroying thousands of homes. The government has promised an extra 20 million euros ($22 million) in emergency aid, on top of the 10 million euros allocated in response to previous floods two weeks ago, which killed at least two people. At least 10,000 people were forced to leave their homes, and many of those who remained in flooded areas were left with no electricity. Heavy rains followed months of drought which had dried out the land, reducing its capacity to absorb water, meteorologists said.

CASTEL BOLOGNESE, Italy, May 18 (Reuters) - Floods that killed at least 13 people in Italy's northern Emilia-Romagna region caused billions of euros' worth of damage and hit agriculture particularly hard, the regional governor said on Thursday. "We are facing a new earthquake," Emilia-Romagna President Stefano Bonaccini told reporters, recalling the seismic events that struck the region in 2012, destroying thousands of homes. The government has promised an extra 20 million euros ($22 million) in emergency aid, on top of the 10 million euros allocated in response to previous floods two weeks ago, which killed at least two people. [1/6] Firefighters work next to a flooded car, after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in Faenza, Italy, May 18. Heavy rains followed months of drought which had dried out the land, reducing its capacity to absorb water, meteorologists said.

[1/4] Military officers assist a person on a dinghy after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in Faenza, Italy, May 18. "Climate change is here and we are living the consequences. Last July, an ice avalanche in the Italian Alps killed 11 people following a heatwave that exacerbated the worst drought that Italy has suffered for at least 70 years. "A climate change adaptation policy that goes beyond how to handle emergencies and considers the effects of ordinary planning is increasingly urgent," it said in a statement. Italy's national civil protection agency estimates that 94% of the country's municipalities are prone to natural disasters - making it inconceivable to protect everyone from the dangers of climate change.

Rome/London CNN —Italy’s government convened crisis talks Thursday to investigate the reasons behind a surge in prices for pasta, one of the country’s most beloved and culturally important foods. Pasta inflation moderated a bit in April but prices were still up 16.5% over 12 months. Pasta prices have soared despite the price of wheat — the main ingredient — falling in recent months. The price of durum wheat — a type of wheat popular among Italian pasta-makers — has fallen 30% since May 2022. Making pasta only requires mixing water with the wheat, the group said, giving “little justification” for the huge increase in retail prices.

☆ Italy is convening a crisis meeting this week to address soaring pasta prices, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Italy's industry minister has called a crisis meeting to address the soaring price of pasta, Reuters reported. Pasta prices jumped 16.3% in April, while broader Italian inflation came in at 8.8%. The comparable increase in Italy's harmonized index of consumer prices, a weighted average of Italian goods and services, measured a provisional 8.8% in April. But Coldiretti, an Italian agriculture group, said soaring pasta prices represented an "anomaly that needs clarification," given the price of a key ingredient, durum wheat, fell 30% in the year, per local publication Ansa. The National Consumer Union said until speculation on wheat prices was defined as an "unfair practice," the price of pasta may stay elevated, per Ansa.

☆ Italy moves to ban lab-grown meat in drive to protect home products
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It does not apply to products made or sold elsewhere in the European Union, in Turkey or in the European Economic Area (EEA). The nationalist administration of Giorgia Meloni has pledged to shield Italy's food from technological innovations seen as harmful, and renamed the agriculture ministry the "ministry for agriculture and food sovereignty". Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, one of Meloni's closest allies, says laboratory products endanger the traditional link between agriculture and food. The ban on "cell-based" meat is not the only initiative the right-wing government in Rome has put in place to block non-conventional food from being served on Italian tables. Agricultural lobby Coldiretti on Tuesday praised the government's move against "synthetic food", saying the ban was needed to safeguard home production "from the attacks of multinational companies".

☆ Women's Day in Italy hit by drought as flower supply dries up
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Federico Maccioni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, March 7 (Reuters) - Italy's celebrations of International Women's Day on Wednesday risk being spoiled by a drought that has slashed production of the yellow mimosa flowers that are traditionally gifted for the occasion. The depleted supply of mimosas has pushed up prices, Coldiretti said, with large bunches selling for more than 20 euros ($21.20). Mimosas, first introduced to Italy in the 19th century, were chosen as the country's symbol of International Women's Day in 1946, the year after the end of World War Two. The choice was made by two members of an anti-fascist organization to embody women's strength, energy and perseverance. The first recorded celebration of the International Women’s Day was in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland when over a million people rallied to support women's rights.

☆ AVERTISMENT: Criza sărăciei de Paşte, înregistrată în Italia, va fi cea mai gravă de la începutul secolului
▼ + stars: | 2021-03-30 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: 1 min

"Niciodată nu s-a întâmplat ca atât de mulţi italieni să întâmpine dificultăţi de Paşte", a declarat Colduretti, estimând că numărul celor care se vor confrunta cu sărăcia în timpul sărbătorilor pascale din acest an va fi cu un milion de ori mai mare decât anul trecut.Procentul populaţiei sărace a crescut de la 6,8% la 9,4%, în nordul Italiei, aceasta fiind şi partea cea mai afectată a ţării în ceea ce priveşte urgenţele sanitare, conform datelor asociaţiei Coldiretti.Criza cauzată de apariţia noului coronavirus a afectat peste 1,3 milioane de copii şi minori sub 18 ani, a declarat asociaţia, cu 209.000 mai multe personae decât de Paştele trecut.

Locations: Italiei

☆ După ce a înregistrat 16.000 de noi infectări într-o zi, Italia anunță noi zone roșii și aplică iar restricții dure
▼ + stars: | 2021-01-17 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Italia înăspreşte din nou regulile destinate combaterii pandemiei din cauza creşterii numărului cazurilor de infectare, fiind desemnate trei noi zone roșii începând de duminică, a anunţat ministrul sănătăţii Roberto Speranza, informează dpa. Guvernul italian a înăsprit anterior criteriile de clasificare a zonelor. Coldiretti a comunicat că restricţiile au afectat puternic întregul sector agricol şi alimentar şi a solicitat subvenţii pentru salvarea locurilor de muncă şi protejarea economiei. Decizia privind înăsprirea măsurilor a fost adoptată în contextul în care autorităţile italiene au înregistrat vineri 16.000 de noi cazuri de contaminare cu noul coronavirus şi 477 de decese cauzate de COVID-19. Regulile se aplică aşa-numitelor zone galbene, unde situaţia epidemiologică este mai puţin gravă decât în alte părţi ale ţării, potrivit unui ordin semnat sâmbătă de premierul Giuseppe Conte.

Persons: Roberto Speranza, Coldiretti, Giuseppe Conte Locations: Italia, Lombardia, Sicilia, Bolzano, Italiei

Guvernul italian a înăsprit anterior criteriile de clasificare a zonelor. Coldiretti a comunicat că restricţiile au afectat puternic întregul sector agricol şi alimentar şi a solicitat subvenţii pentru salvarea locurilor de muncă şi protejarea economiei. Decizia privind înăsprirea măsurilor a fost adoptată în contextul în care autorităţile italiene au înregistrat vineri 16.000 de noi cazuri de contaminare cu noul coronavirus şi 477 de decese cauzate de Covid-19. În pofida acestor restricţiilor mai dure, muzeele şi expoziţiile din unele regiuni vor putea să deschidă de luni. Regulile se aplică aşa-numitelor zone galbene, unde situaţia epidemiologică este mai puţin gravă decât în alte părţi ale ţării, potrivit unui ordin semnat sâmbătă de premierul Giuseppe Conte.

Persons: Coldiretti, Giuseppe Conte Locations: Lombardia, Sicilia, Bolzano, Italiei

☆ Inundaţii puternice în nordul Italiei. În unele zone a fost declarată alertă roşie
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-06 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +2 min

Ploi abundente au provocat inundaţii duminică în nordul Italiei, declanşând alerta roşie în anumite zone din Veneto (nord-est), Friuli (nord) şi provincia Bolzano (nordul extrem), transmite AFP, citează Agerpres. În câteva ore, pompierii din regiunea Veneto au trebuit să efectueze peste 400 de intervenţii de urgenţă între Belluno, Vicenza, Treviso şi Veneţia. Alerta de avalanşă a fost activată în masivul Dolomiţi şi Trentino-Tirolul de Sud, unde pompierii au efectuat 500 de intervenţii în ultimele 24 de ore.O altă consecinţă a intemperiilor: meciul de fotbal dintre Udinese şi Atalanta a trebuit amânat, deoarece terenul era prea inundat. Sudul ţării, deşi mai puţin afectat, nu a fost total cruţat: în Sicilia, o furtună violentă a lovit Messina sâmbătă seara, inundând străzile şi căile de acces. Legăturile maritime cu insulele Eoliene (nordul Siciliei) au fost suspendate de sâmbătă din cauza vânturilor puternice.

Persons: Veneto Luca Zaia Locations: Italiei, Veneto, Friuli, Bolzano, Belluno, Vicenza, Treviso şi Veneţia, Modena, Emilia - Romagna, Toscana, Piemont, Brenner, graniţa, Austria, Vitipeno, Oraşul Bolzano, Trentino - Tirolul de Sud, Udinese, Atalanta, Italia, Sicilia, Messina, Siciliei

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