“Farming is dying”, read one placard held aloft in a demonstration by Italian farmers who held new nationwide protests Wednesday.
Dozens of tractors drove in a noisy convoy through the northern city of Cuneo, an AFP journalist witnessed, some with banners including one reading “No farmers, no food, no future”.
Like other European countries, Italy has seen weeks of mounting protests that have seen increasing numbers of farmers take to the streets and block roads over what they see as threats to their livelihoods.
Wednesday’s protests included more than 300 vehicles gathered in Alessandria, near Milan, with a similar number of farmers and shepherds in the Sardinian port of Cagliari, according to the AGI news agency.
They have yet to reach the levels of demonstrations in France, Germany or Belgium but the numbers and frequency of protests are growing.
Their demands vary, from European Union regulations to the impact of inflation and taxes on their products.
Powerful agriculture association Coldiretti said Italian farmers would demonstrate in Brussels on Thursday alongside those from other countries against the EU’s agriculture policies.
