Meloni promises farmers action to ensure they get fair price

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 9 - Premier Giorgia Meloni promised her government will take action to make sure farmers' get fair prices for their produce during a meeting with agricultural associations on Friday, as farmer tractor protests continued in many parts of the country. "We want to address the very important issue of production costs," Meloni said during the encounter, according to sources.
    "We want to prevent products being sold below the cost of production and give farmers a fair price".
    She said the government would boost law-enforcement checks on unfair trading practices and increase monitoring of the prices of agricultural products and the average production costs of the main supply chains.
    She also said that a tax-relief measure regarding income-tax Irpef for farmers would be changed, rather than scrapped completely, to ensure it is better targetted.
    "In recent years the Irpef exemption has been an unfair measure that mainly favoured large entrepreneurs and companies with high business volumes," Meloni said, according to the sources.
    "The government's proposal is to help farmers who need it by limiting the Irpef exemption to agrarian and Sunday income that does not exceed 10,000 euros.
    "In other words, the Irpef exemption must be for the weakest, so it is concrete support to those who produce (food), and not a privilege".
    Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida said Friday that the Irpef exemptions, which government had intended to suspend completely, will remain for 90% of Italian farmers.
    "As it was, the Irpef exemption created an imbalance between Italians," Lollobrigida said.
    "It is right to continue to exempt those who need it in this time of difficulty.
    "But there were exempted Italians who have incomes that are not just above average, they are also above average for the rich.
    "This is not tax fairness.
    "(Economy) Minister (Giancarlo) Giorgetti says the measure that will emerge from these talks will guarantee enough resources for more than 90% of agricultural enterprises".
    (see related stories). (ANSA).