Italian farmers rally across 13 regions to demand crackdown on oil and wheat trafficking

More than 500 Coldiretti farmers gathered in Potenza, while about 100 farmers demonstrated in Florence, as part of coordinated protests in 13 Italian regions. The protests target alleged “trafficanti” who, according to the farmers, are flooding the market with imported olive oil and wheat, causing a collapse in prices.

Coldrietti says the price of extra‑virgin olive oil has dropped roughly 50% in the past year, while production costs have risen by over €200 per hectare. Wheat is reportedly being bought for as little as €0.19 per kilogram, far below the cost of cultivation. Organisers blame foreign imports and fraudulent practices for the price fall.

The association demands stronger inspections at borders and ports, the use of magnetic‑resonance imaging and isotopic mapping to verify product origins, a ban on zero‑duty Tunisian olive oil, and the cessation of active‑perfection mechanisms that facilitate fraud. It also calls for mandatory traceability of olives, enforcement of laws against selling below production cost, and a €40 million allocation to support the grain sector, noting additional cost pressures linked to the Israel‑Iran conflict.