ROME – Wednesday morning a giant papier-mâché pig was placed in Piazza Montecitorio in front of parliament in Rome, accompanied by the banner ‘Ladies and gentlemen, you can no longer ignore me!’ 

 The message was delivered by group of Greenpeace Italy activists who wanted to attract the attention of Parliament on the need to discuss a proposed law against the ‘intensive’ battery farming of animals which was presented to the parliamentary chamber a year ago by the environmental organisation alongside L.I.P.U.,I.S.D.E. - Medici for the environment, Terra! and WWF Italia. The proposed law, which focuses on the need for an agro-ecological transition in the farming sector, has been halted in the agricultural commission and the five animal rights associations have been in uproar about the decision. 

 According to Greenpeace, the number of animals raised annually in Italy is currently over 700 million: a hyper-production that benefits the brands of large retailers and exports, at the expense of small farms. In just 15 years, large farms have doubled in Italy, while the number of small and medium-sized has halved, with a total loss of about 350 thousand jobs, meaning that larger battery farms not only use particularly abusive practises to dominate and saturate the market but also take farming jobs out of the local economy. 

“We have to radically change our farming system to include an adequate regulatory framework and economic support that put companies in a position to switch from the current intensive farming system to an agro-ecological model,” said Simona Savini, member of the agricultural campaign for Greenpeace Italia. “The challenge is great but we are no longer able to postpone it and it calls upon all parties involved: political decision makers, farms, world of associations and science. Our bill will allow us to face.” 

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