A truckers' protest halts Italy's buffalo mozzarella and threatens its pasta

Truck drivers in southern Italy have been blocking roads, motorways and ports for about a week over the high cost of diesel, driven up by the Iran war. Supermarket shelves and petrol pumps are running empty in much of the south.

Mozzarella losses

3 million euros lost in 24 hours

The consortium that oversees the cheese estimates the blockade cost producers 3 million euros in 24 hours.

Pasta maker Rummo suspended production after running out of ingredients, and its chief executive says most of Italy's pasta production has halted or is close to it.

What's next

The government has promised a package worth more than 150 million euros for road hauliers and called an extraordinary Cabinet meeting on aid for transport and agriculture.