Farming
All the latest news and insight on farmers, farming and agriculture in Italy.
Indians march to end 'slavery' after worker death shakes Italy
Thousands of Indian farm labourers urged an end to "slavery" in Italy on Tuesday after the gruesome death of a worker shone a light on the brutal exploitation of undocumented migrants.
Italian farmers stage symbolic protest by Rome's Colosseum
Following weeks of small demonstrations held across the country, Italian farmers took their protest to Rome on Friday, driving a four-tractor convoy past the Colosseum.
Will farmers' protests block Italy's roads on Friday?
After Italian farmers pledged to drive hundreds of tractors through central Rome this week, can Italy expect road blockades and disruption on the level of that seen in France and Spain?
EU chief bows to protesting farmers over pesticide use
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday recommended the bloc bury a plan to cut pesticide use in agriculture as a concession to protesting European farmers.
EU to begin talks with farming leaders after wave of farmers' protests around Europe
The European Commission is due on Thursday to begin "strategic" talks with farmers' federations, agri-business firms, NGOs and experts on ways to assuage the ire on farms in several countries.
Case of African swine fever confirmed in northern Italy
A case of African swine fever has been detected in a wild boar in Italy, news agency ANSA said Friday, raising fears of a blow to the country's meat industry.
Italy’s wine production falls by nine percent after year of extreme weather
Italian wine production dropped by nine percent in 2021, new figures show, as winemakers across the country continue to suffer the effects of extreme weather.
IN PHOTOS: Why Italian farms are freezing fruit trees to protect from frost
Fruit growers in northern Italy have turned their fields into a winter wonderland, in a surprising strategy to save the young harvest from the sudden April frost.
Can the olive harvest still go ahead under Italy's coronavirus restrictions?
Italy's new coronavirus restrictions came in just as many people were about to begin the olive harvest. If you're one of them, here's what you need to know.
'Truly inexplicable': Why did four million bees die overnight in northern Italy?
Italian agricultural experts are investigating the mysterious deaths overnight of millions of bees in the northern region of Lombardy.
IN PICTURES: The Amalfi Coast lemon growers facing an uphill struggle to survive
Historic lemon groves in Amalfi had been forced to turn to tourism for survival. But now that's no longer viable either, and the area's last lemon farmers are barely holding on.
'This is where I want to be': The growing number of young Italians choosing life on the farm
The number of young people in Italy choosing a life in the country is on the rise. Despite the hard work and early starts, they say farming is no longer an undesirable way to make a living.
Italy flies in foreign workers to help pick its crops
The first group of foreign farm workers, more than 100 Moroccans, arrived in Italy on Friday, via a so-called "green corridor" allowing them to fly in to help pick the country's ripening crops.
Why the coronavirus is hurting Italian farmers
Floriana Fanizza gazes desolately at her celery crop, lost to the coronavirus because it could not be harvested.
IN PHOTOS: Northern Italy's mimosa harvest comes early
Workers in northwestern Italy are rushing to harvest millions of bright yellow mimosa flowers this week, as they say the crop is coming increasingly early because of global heating.
Italian wine production drops sharply after year of extreme weather
Italian wine production dropped by 12 percent in 2019, new figures show, with winemakers suffering the effects of extreme weather across the country.
'They destroy everything': Italian farmers protest rising number of wild boars
Bowls of wild boar stew and boar sandwiches were handed out at the demonstration in Rome.
Climate crisis: Italian beekeepers suffer 'worst honey harvest ever'
This year has been a black one for beekeepers in Italy, where unpredictable weather has produced what are being called the worst-ever honey harvests across the country.
FOCUS: The perennial problem of Italy's agro-mafia
Thousands of exploited workers who are paid a pittance to work in unacceptable conditions: welcome to the dark side of Italy's world famous agriculture, and the shadowy role of the mafia.
How an Italian farmer found a better way to grow tomatoes – without soil
The Italian tomato is prized around the world, but its reputation has soured in recent years over reports of mafia infiltration, slave labour and toxic fires that poison water sources.
Researchers hunt for solutions to Italy's 'olive tree leprosy'
Working in an arid Italian field of crumbly soil, agronomists are battling a rampant bacterium that has already infected millions of olive trees and could threaten the entire Mediterranean basin.
Hot weather brings plagues of insects to Sardinia and northern Italy
Millions of locusts have devastated at least 2,000 hectares of crops in Sardinia, Italian farmers union Coldiretti said on Monday, with experts calling the invasion the worst in six decades.
Kiwigate: Police uncover massive Italian fruit fraud
'Inferior' Italian kiwi fruit were 'Frenchified' and sold for higher prices in a long-running scam uncovered by French police.