Truckers' Diesel-Price Strike in Southern Italy Halts Mozzarella Output and Empties Shelves and Pumps

A weeklong truckers' strike over high diesel prices in southern Italy has halted production of buffalo mozzarella, causing an estimated loss of 3 million euros in 24 hours, an official said. Milk cannot reach dairies in the Naples region and finished cheese cannot reach customers. The strike, over diesel costs driven up by the Iran war, has also blocked deliveries of basic goods to supermarkets and left gas pumps empty in much of southern Italy. The government approved new tax breaks for truckers Thursday, but it was too early to tell whether they would end the protest. Pier Maria Saccani, director of the Consortium for the Protection of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, said about 1 million liters of milk produced Wednesday could not be turned into mozzarella. Production rules require the milk to be processed within 60 hours.

The alternative source, France 24, leads with the mozzarella stoppage and the €3 million loss estimate, placing it among unrelated business items. The left-leaning New York Times frames the strike more broadly, describing empty shelves and dry pumps in parts of southern Italy. The right-leaning New York Post gives the most detail, quoting Saccani, explaining the 60-hour rule and noting the government's tax breaks. All three agree on the protest's cause and its disruption of supplies.