Farmers park tractors outside Colosseum in Rome protest

‌Hundreds of farmers held demonstrations across Rome on Thursday, parking tractors outside the Colosseum and gathering in the Circo Massimo, an ancient chariot-racing stadium that is now a large park in the heart of the Italian capital.

"We are here to try to change everything," said Vito, a farmer who had traveled to Rome from Potenza in southern Italy.

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"The government is not listening to us, if we come together they might listen to us because unity is strength. But the thing is, I don't think there are enough of us here today," he added.

‌Organizers had predicted a turnout of 20,000 people but fewer than 1,000 gathered in the Circo Massimo in the city center by the end of the day.

‌The protests marked the first time that Italian farmers have demonstrated in large numbers in the capital since the wider European protest movement began.

‌Until this week, rallies had largely been confined to Italy's agricultural heartlands in the north. Farmers have also formed protest camps on the outskirts of Rome.

‌The start of this year has seen farmer protests in France, Belgium, Greece and many other countries in the European Union.

Concerns about high costs, imports from overseas

‌Italian farmers share many of the same concerns that have led to demonstrations across the EU. They argue that lower-standard, cheaper imports from overseas are undercutting them. They also accuse large supermarkets of driving down prices to unsustainable levels in recent years even as their costs, such as diesel, have shot up.

‌However, protesting farmers in Italy also have specific demands aimed at their government rather than European authorities. They have demanded cuts to VAT on food products and wine, as well as talks between their representatives and Italian leaders such as the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

‌In response, this month Italy's government introduced targeted tax breaks lasting two years. The Ministry of Agriculture has also offered to hold technical discussions with farmers' groups.

‌Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's far-right government had been seen as largely pro-farmer since it took power in late 2022. It has passed symbolic laws such as banning the sale of laboratory-grown meat last year, which was applauded by farmers' groups.

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