Full Breakdown
Italian Truckers' Protest Halts Buffalo Mozzarella Production
By Drooid · · How we work
Production Blockade in Southern Italy
A week-long protest by truck drivers over soaring diesel prices has blocked major roads around Naples and Caserta, preventing the transport of fresh buffalo milk to dairies. Because Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP must be processed within 60 hours of milking, the blockade forced dairies to cease operations. Pier Maria Saccani, director of the Consortium for the Protection of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, reported that about 1 million liters of milk could not be turned into cheese on a single day.
Economic Impact and Production Figures
The consortium estimates the stoppage caused a loss of roughly €3 million (about $3.4 million) in just 24 hours. Production costs for the cheese have risen about 30 % due to higher animal feed, diesel, energy, packaging and transport expenses. In 2025 the protected cheese totalled just under 58 000 metric tons, with approximately 37 % exported—France being the largest foreign market.
Government and Industry Response
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s cabinet scheduled an extraordinary meeting to consider a decree unlocking new aid for agriculture and transport. Deputy Transport Minister Edoardo Rixi said the government had already released about €1 billion for the trucking sector, including €480 million disbursed earlier in the week. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani warned that blocking toll roads harms all citizens and noted that oil prices would not fall because of the protests.
Broader Supply Disruptions
The road blockades have also emptied supermarket shelves of other perishable goods and created shortages of diesel for farms. Jet-fuel supplies at airports in Calabria were reported as insufficient, forcing pilots to carry extra fuel from previous stops. Retail-association Federdistribuzione confirmed that the disruptions are affecting fresh-food supply chains across the south.
Outlook
While the government moves to approve financial assistance, truckers in Campania, Calabria and Puglia continue their stoppage, and protests in Sicily have been called off. The resolution of the blockade will determine whether milk can again reach dairies before the 60-hour processing deadline and restore normal mozzarella output.