One of the main groups of protesting
Italian farmers said Thursday they would unleash their tractors
to roam freely on the streets of Rome Saturday unless Farm
Minister Francesco Lollobrigida agreed to see them about their
grievances.
The group, Agricultural Redemption, which has already agreed
with Rome officials to hold a tractor parade in Piazza San
Giovanni Friday, said they would left their vehicles roam across
the whole city unless Lollobrigida set up a meeting.
"If we don't get answers our tractors will leave the garrison
(on the capital's outskirts) and go free around Rome," said
Andrea Papa, one of the leaders of Agricultural Redemption,
speaking of an "ultimatum" to the minister of agriculture.
"We want a meeting with the minister but so far no one has
contacted us," said Papa.
"Tomorrow's demonstration in San Giovanni is the only positive
result of these days and tomorrow morning our ten tractors will
move from the garrison escorted by the police.
"But if the minister does not respond to the ultimatum that
expires on Saturday at 12 noon, the tractors will go free around
the city".
The group said they had cancelled plans to hold a major rally in
the iconic Roman square and would instead send the 10 tractors
as a symbolic protest gesture, as well as parading four vehicles
around the Colosseum.
The group also said it was not happy that the Sanremo Song
Festival will represent them just by host Amadeus reading out a
message and threatened to send all their tractors to the
Ligurian town unless their representatives are allowed on stage
at the annual showbiz extravaganza and song contest.
"If we are not able to go on the Ariston stage, we will be
forced to concentrate all the tractors of the Lombardy, Piedmont
and Liguria garrisons, which are already organising themselves
to potentially reach Sanremo by tomorrow or Saturday morning, on
Sanremo, starting tomorrow," said Agricultural Redemption.
"So far we have shown a high sense of responsibility, but this
has not been repaid as no one has contacted us so far," the
movement added.
The biggest protest group, Farmers Betrayed, said Wednesday that
a planned tractor parade around Rome some time next week would
involve thousands of vehicles and could see them roaming around
the historic Circus Maximus.
Lollobrigida said Thursday he had met and was continuing to meet
protesting farmers' groups.
"As for the farmers' delegations, I have already met them and we
are still meeting associations'," he said.
"All associations in Italy have a dialectical relationship with
the government.
"I do not have the problem of meeting, when I think they are
good people", I have met many delegations, or individuals or
groups".
The minister recalled that there is an "archipelago of
(groups)", but that 'there are some who are evidently used as
testimonials for positions that have little to do with
representation", suggesting he would not heed the ultimatum.
Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, for his part, said the
government is weighing the idea of granting an exemption on
IRPEF personal income tax to Italian farmers, adding to existing
measures, to meet some of the demands of the groups that have
been driving their tractors around the country this week.
"Without prejudice to the measures already adopted and
previously mentioned, as well as all the other easement measures
in force for the agricultural sector, the intervention on the
subject of IRPEF exemption for agricultural entrepreneurs in
need of effective support is currently being evaluated, possibly
envisaging specific exemptions," he said.
"Such a measure, therefore, could be included in the first
useful regulatory vehicle - which could also be the
Milleproroghe (budget omnibus rider) decree law currently being
examined by the Lower House".
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