Producers' federation Confagricoltura says that it is almost impossible to estimate the damage caused so far, such is the extent of the storms and the range of fruit, vegetable, salad and other crops affected.

'After the hailstorms which battered Veneto and Lombardy, now Emilia Romagna, Tuscany and Marche are counting the cost,' the federation said in a statement.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the country drought continues to be a serious problem. In some parts of the Mezzogiorno region, for example, water availability is only half what it was last year. 'Without being alarmist, we are facing an extremely serious situation which calls for extraordinary measures,' said a Confagricoltura spokesperson. 'But the regulations in place are inadequate.' Confagricoltura president Augusto Bocchini has written to the minister for agricultural policy. 'The bad weather has also hit other EU member states, Austria and Germany in particular. At this stage, in the face of damage on such a scale and considering the complexity of the national Treasury, financial intervention from EU institutions is vital to compensate for the damage and kickstart agricultural activity.' The federation is calling on government to review legislation passed in 1992 to deal with such emergencies as a matter of urgency.

Meanwhile, southern Italian growers hit by the effects of drought are due to start receiving compensation payments from August 26. The payments will reach euro330 million and should benefit 1 million hecatares of agricultural and horticultural land.

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