- Title: ITALY: FOUR-DAY BLOCKAGE OF AIRPORT LIFTED BY FARMERS
- Date: 20th January 1997
- Summary: MILAN, ITALY (JANUARY 20, 1997) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV FARMERS STAGE DEMONSTRATION WITH TRACTORS ON ROAD TO AIRPORT (4 SHOTS) 0.20 2. LV FARMERS DEMONSTRATING/ SITTING BY FIRES/ MAKING SANDWICHES/ DRINKING (8 SHOTS) 0.54 3. SLV PIGLET ASLEEP ON STRAW NEXT TO POSTER 1.00 4. SLV FARMERS GATHERED AROUND FIRE 1.05 5. SCU UNIDENTIFIED MAN SAYING WE ARE HERE BECAUSE WE DO NOT WANT TO PAY THE FINES. OUR GOVERNMENT MUST SOLVE THE PROBLEM. WE WILL NOT MOVE UNTIL THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED (ITALIAN) 1.23 6. SCU UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN SAYING WE ARE HERE TO SAVE OUR COWS AND OUR JOBS. IN THE PAST FIVE MONTHS WE HAVEN'T EARNED ANY MONEY (ITALIAN) 1.35 7. LV ROAD PACKED WITH PEOPLE UNDER UMBRELLAS 1.41 8. LV ROAD PACKED WITH TRACTORS 1.47 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 4th February 1997 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MILAN, ITALY
- City:
- Country: Italy
- Reuters ID: LVAA44HB5CX21JGD3CCA73CWVHXP
- Story Text: - INTRO: Protesting Italian farmers have promised to lift a four-day blockade of Milan's Airport.
Italian farmers demonstrating against European Union milk quotas said they were lifting a four-day blockade on roads leading to Milan's main airport on Monday (January 20) after Prime Minister Romano Prodi promised to hear their grievances.
Prodi said in a statement he would meet a delegation on Wednesday (January 22) provided roads to Linate airport were cleared and traffic allowed to move freely around Italy's second city.
Five days of farmers' protests have brought chaos to road traffic around Linate, with air passengers forced to walk kilometres (miles) to catch their flights.
Farmers descended on Milan last week in hundreds of tractors to protest against EU fines totalling 370 billion lire (235 million U.S. dollars) imposed on the Italian dairy industry for milk overproduction in the 1995-96 season.
The demonstrators have called on the state to pay the fines, due to be paid by January 31, and have demanded that the EU milk quotas be raised.
Speaking before the roadblocks were lifted, one demonstrator said the farmers refused to pay the fines and the government must solve the problem.
The Italian government has so far offered farmers cheap loans to cover the fines but has refused to pay the penalties.
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