«The farmers’ protest is a fair protest, which we share, against some community policies that are absolutely not acceptable. There are other issues that concern our country more directly such as the increase in agricultural fuel, energy costs, and income tax on agricultural land on which we are pushing for solutions. And then there are other aspects such as that relating to payments or the reclamation consortia that we inherit and the ungulate emergency”. The regional councilor said it, Gianluca Gallo, on the occasion of the meeting of the technical table with the representatives of the farmers in struggle, held at the regional citadel. The meeting was attended by the general managers Giacomo Giovinazzo (agri-food resources department) e Salvatore Siviglia (Protection of the environment and territory), the president of the Province of Crotone Sergio Ferrari, the mayor of Crotone Vincenzo Voce and several other first citizens. Many representatives of farmers came from various parts of the region and, in particular, from the Ionian area between Catanzaro and Crotone.
«We work at our pace and within our possibilities – added Gallo – with respect to the objectives that we believe are within our reach and that have been set for us». The agenda set by farmers is very busy. They range from the request for a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to the needs to combat the drought which especially affects the Crotone area; and again: interventions to eliminate the difficulties of placing agricultural products on the market, the issue of prices and the high increase in costs, the mitigation of company debt. «Up to now – said the mayor of Crotone Vincenzo Voce who participated in the meeting – the mobilization has been contained overall but spirits are exasperated and there are those who are ready to raise the level of the protest, creating even greater inconvenience. Citizens, however, are in solidarity with a sector that is a driving force for our GDP. Trade is now collapsing and if the agricultural sector were to die too, it would truly be the end of the economy of our territories.”