Earlier in the day, some 10,000 representatives of the agricultural sector gathered in the Italian city of Verona, located in northern region of Veneto, to protest against Brussels' prolongation of the anti-Moscow sanctions. The rally, which was co-organized by Coldiretti, was also attended by Italian Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies Minister Maurizio Martina and Veneto President Luca Zaia.
"Moscow's embargo cost us 600 million euros," a Coldiretti poster at the rally read, as cited by the Il Tirreno newspaper.
In 2014, relations between Russia and the European Union, including Italy, deteriorated amid the crisis in Ukraine. Brussels, Washington and their allies introduced several rounds of anti-Russia sanctions over Crimea's secession from Ukraine, accusing Moscow of meddling in the Ukrainian conflict.
In August 2014, in response to the Western restrictive measures, Moscow announced a one-year food embargo on products originating in states that imposed sanctions against it. The ban has since been prolonged.
