50 farmers depart from Alessandria for Sanremo

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 9 - Around 50 agricultural and livestock farmers from the Alessandria-Asti autonomous farmers' collective headed to the Ligurian riviera resort of Sanremo on Friday for an authorised rally in the afternoon.
    In a statement the farmers said that the message that will be read out from the stage of the Ariston Theatre during the Sanremo Song Festival on Friday evening "has been drawn up with and signed by the group Agricultural Redemption from Melegnano (Milan)".
    "Roughly 20 tractors from Mondovì (in the Piemonte province of Cuneo, ed.) are also present at the Sanremo garrison," the statement added.
    On Thursday morning seven tractors representing Agricultural Redemption arrived in Sanremo from Melegnano amid hopes that the farmers would be allowed on stage.
    However state broadcaster Rai later said it was "impossible" and that the festival's artistic director and host Amadeus would read a statement instead.
    Farmers up and down the country are protesting over European and Italian agricultural and environmental policies and general hardship in the sector.
    The movement is fragmented, however. (ANSA).