Italian farming association Confederazione Italiana Agricoltori (Cia) has called on the country's government to declare an official state of emergency after the second major onslaught of adverse weather conditions hit the country in the space of a fortnight.
The group said persistent heavy rains and high winds had struck the whole Italian Peninsula – particularly Tuscany, Liguria, Lazio, Umbria, Veneto, Campania and Puglia – causing damage worth tens of millions of euros to agricultural sites including those producing fruit and vegetables.
With rivers swelling, earth shifting under the weight of water and even, in the province of Taranto, tornados causing havoc, many of the country's roads have been rendered impassable, bringing to a halt the normal harvesting and distribution of fruit and vegetables as well as other key food items.
'Farmers have been placed in huge difficulty by the blocking of motorways and provincial, urban and rural roads, as well as the interruption of electrcity supplies,' said a spokesperson for Cia.
The association has estimated the total damage caused to agricultural production in Italy by the weather this year – factoring in not only this week's weather but also major storms that hit in mid-November – at more than €3.5bn.
'The current situation is worrying,' the spokesperson continued. 'A lot of areas have been devastated by the torrential rains and by the wind. They have been badly damaged as a result, because of heavy rains, landslides and rivers breaking their banks, farming operations and particularly fresh produce and flower nurseries have been badly damaged.'
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