Vita Gazette – There’s a famous saying: “All roads lead to Rome” The farmers’ protests that have spread across Europe have reached Rome. And their message was transmitted to the whole world in a letter through the Sanremo Festival.

All Roads Lead to Rome: This expression is said to have emerged due to the excellent service rendered by the Roman emperor. Caesar ordered and asked Rome to go everywhere by car, so roads were built everywhere, starting from Rome. These roads were used for centuries by the most minor feudal structures and the most prominent empires that appeared on the scene of history almost after the Roman Empire. Even today, these streets witness farmers’ protests.

As in other European countries, farmers’ protests continue in Italy too. Farmers setting out with their tractors express their reactions to EU agricultural policies and taxes. And last week, the tractor protest reached the gates of Rome. They made their symbolic tour of the city.

Around two hundred Riscatto agricultural tractors were in procession on the Grande Raccordo Anulare of Rome last night. Four tractors in the heart of Rome. Returning to the capital, having missed the big demonstration planned in San Giovanni, the tractors entered the city’s heart without flags behind them in the morning. Sounding their horns and escorted by the police, the agricultural vehicles passed in front of the Colosseum and headed to the Circus Maximus.

And on Thursday, at 3 p.m., at the Circus Maximus, the “CRA, betrayed farmers” demonstration will occur, the other front of the farmers’ protest. This means that their protest will go on.

One of the last addresses of the farmers who participated in the protests throughout Italy was the country’s most critical San Remo Festival. At the Sanremo Festival, Amadeus read the farmers’ letter on stage.

The text read by Amadeus on the Ariston stage:

“Italian farmers pay the price for bad decisions not based on science. Just think of community policies such as the Green Deal, the air quality directive or the regulation on pesticides, fortunately, withdrawn by the EU Commission thanks to our protests; all these policies, in our opinion, are excessively unbalanced in favour of the environment, are to the detriment of all Italian agriculture, with particular reference to small companies. The sword of Damocles of the prices paid to farmers then weighs heavily on these issues. We remind everyone that we cannot plan the selling price of our products because we are subjected to a market drugged by speculation, where the price paid to us is a tenth of what consumers pay. We are protesting these days: we ask for a clear law that guarantees fair value distribution along the agri-food chain, with mutual benefits for agricultural producers and consumers. The prices paid to farmers have been stagnant for thirty years, so much so that some products cost consumers up to ten times more. We are the only category that cannot rely on production costs and cannot apply the costs, suffering all the disadvantages of the market and possible lousy weather of the season despite having high and certain costs linked to sowing and production.

We will not bore you now by listing in detail what we ask for, which we have explained several times to the press and brought to the attention of politicians. Still, we want to limit ourselves to transmitting a straightforward message: we farmers are not in the streets asking for aid or subsidies. Still, to ensure that we are paid the proper remuneration for the complex and irreplaceable work we do every day, thanks to which every citizen can eat every day. Unfortunately, this has not happened for some time, so much so that today, most of the fruits of our labour are widely underpaid, with revenues that are well below the production costs. Therefore, we protest to defend the dignity of all farmers and forcefully demand that the correct amount be paid for our production. A Future for Agriculture and Made in Italy. All this simply because without agriculture, there is no life, there is no food sovereignty, there is no freedom; we only ask for the possibility of continuing to honour the teachings of our parents and grandparents, who, with respect, love and dignity, led us to cultivate the value of the land and what it represents, with the only objective of leaving a world better for our children. We conclude with a greeting to Italy, Rai and you, Amadeus. Thank you for giving farmers a voice in the temple of Italian music. Recently, we have insisted on wanting to go on stage ourselves for a single reason: to show our faces. These clean faces represent the future of Italian agriculture and the passionate eyes of those who still believe that quoting Pope Francis, there is no it is humanity without cultivation of the land”.

Farmers across Europe have been protesting since last year

Farmers across Europe have been protesting since last year by pouring mud or fertiliser in front of public institutions and various organisations or blocking roads, citing the price of fuel, rising taxes and insufficient support payments.

Among the issues criticised by farmers are EU agricultural policies, nature restoration objectives, cuts in support payments, high energy, fuel and fertiliser costs resulting from the Ukrainian crisis, cheap cereal products from Ukraine and water-saving measures.

In many countries, farmers say they are not paid enough. They say they are overwhelmed by taxes, bureaucracy, and excessive environmental regulations, and they also point out that cheap food imports exacerbate the situation.

Farmers’ protests, which have been taking place in the streets of Europe for months, continue in Bulgaria, Greece, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Italy, and France.