"The 2019 milk price protests have taught those who must find solutions, starting with politics, nothing." Sardinian shepherds emerged from the new assembly convened in Tramatza— six hundred participants, including farmers, mayors, and representatives of the dairy industry— to discuss the price of sheep's milk and animal diseases, such as bovine dermatitis, with one certainty: the mobilization is back, and in October there will be a demonstration in Cagliari, where the farmers will demand a meeting with the group leaders of both sides in the Regional Council, following the absence of the regional council representatives invited to today's meeting.
"The situation today is worse than it was in 2019," reiterates Gianuario Falchi, one of the shepherds' spokespeople along with Fabio Pisu, Mario Carai, and Nenneddu Sanna. "In 2019, a quintal of feed cost 25-30 euros, today it's 55 euros, fertilizer was 35 euros and now costs 120, and agricultural diesel was 50 cents a liter and now it's 1.70. We urgently need to know whether to plan the 2026-2027 milk campaign or not to milk because it's not worth producing."
Today's meeting also included several mayors and dairy industry representatives, who listened to the farmers' concerns and presented a new market management strategy, including the recall of 3,000 tons of Pecorino Romano to maintain a balance between the value of the PDO cheese and producers' remuneration.
Meanwhile, the Regional Department of Agriculture and Agro-Pastoral Reform has convened a Sheep Dairy Supply Chain Roundtable for Tuesday, October 13th, at 10:00 a.m., in Oristano. The meeting will focus on the sector's performance and market prospects, starting with data on production, sales, stocks, prices, and costs.
"The meeting will be an opportunity to bring together the various stakeholders in the supply chain, share data, and closely monitor market developments, so we can prepare ahead of time and identify the tools needed to safeguard the supply chain's balance and the producers' jobs," said Agriculture Councilor Francesco Agus.
(Unioneonline)
