The emergency linked to the coronavirus is not creating problems from the point of view of the availability of fruit and vegetables (even if in the areas most at risk it has become complicated, in recent days, even just going shopping), however the first effects negatives are starting to be seen on farms, in particular those - numerous - in Lombardy and Veneto, the two regions most affected by the infections and consequently by the restrictive measures of the government. According to Coldiretti monitoring, there is the risk of paralysis for the work of as many as 500 farms located in the eleven municipalities of the red zone, which includes areas with a strong agricultural vocation, from farms to vineyards, from farmhouses to cellars.
The official data are these: in the quarantine zone - that is, that of the Lodi area and the province of Padua - over a hundred thousand cows and pigs live and the limitation of the movement of goods and people, as well as the prevention measures, prevent adequate assistance in the stables while in the fields the constraints on the movement of tractor-driver workers from their homes to their workplaces, in view of sowing, weigh heavily. "It is necessary to verify as soon as possible, Coldiretti points out, that all personnel responsible for controlling the gates between the red and yellow zones are adequately trained and informed on the derogation from the movement of people, vehicles and products for the agricultural and agri-food sector, including biogas".
The difficulties actually extend to the entire area of the Po valley, where over 1/3 of Made in Italy agri-food is born, directly conditioned by the coronavirus emergency in production and commercial activity. The agricultural system is therefore already paying a heavy price to the crisis generated by the coronavirus, that's why It is important to give immediate support to businesses through tax relief and social security contributions with the postponement of payments, social security compensation for lost working days and activation of social safety nets for workers as well as the extension of the deadlines of regional and national rural development plans, while at the same time favoring supply chain contracts to guarantee fair prices for farmers.
