ROME – A protest by Italian truck drivers over fuel prices and the cost of living is causing food shortages in shops, with deliveries disrupted and fresh produce rotting, retailers said on Oct 21.
The protests, which began in southern Italy last week, have also disrupted operations in two regional airports in Calabria because they cannot get deliveries of aviation fuel.
With traffic snarled in various parts of the country, long queues formed on the A1 motorway near the southern city of Naples after truckers restricted access.
Trucks and tractors drove into the central square in the north-eastern city of Ravenna as the protests spread and farmers added their voices.
Truck drivers blocking streets in Palermo, Italy on Oct 20. Protests over soaring fuel and transport costs are disrupting supply chains across Sicily and southern Italy.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The ANCD-Conad group, representing retailers operating under the Conad supermarket brand, said large quantities of perishable products including fruit and vegetables, as well as milk and meat were stranded on trucks and in warehouses.
“The freedom to protest cannot translate into undermining citizens’ right to receive fresh food or destroying the value created by Italy’s agri-food supply chains,” said the group’s president Maurizio Pelliconi
Government to meet on Oct 22
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s cabinet plans to meet on Oct 22 to approve a package bringing together aid measures for truck drivers and farmers, her office said in a statement.
The government has set aside around €1 billion (S$1.4 billion) in 2026 to help truck drivers cope with surging fuel costs and replace older vehicles with less-polluting models.
A sign warns customers of possible product shortages at a supermarket in Naples, Italy.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Deputy Infrastructure Minister Edoardo Rixi called for an end to the protests, saying they were also disrupting supplies to hospitals, and warned the government was prepared to take a harder line against hauliers.
“If someone is breaking the law, then at a certain point the law must be enforced,” he told reporters.
With tensions over economic difficulties running high in Italy, weekend riots saw gangs of mainly young people go on the rampage in Milan and other northern cities.
The government responded on Oct 20 with a new security decree targeting underage offenders. REUTERS
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