Italy's Mozzarella Output Halts in Industry Where 'Every Hour Counts'

Italy's famed buffalo mozzarella has run headlong into the nation's fuel-price revolt. Road blockades by truckers in the south have cut dairies off from fresh milk, forcing many to halt mozzarella production since Tuesday, as the milk must be turned into cheese within 60 hours, says the consortium that oversees Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, per Bloomberg. "For us, every hour counts," Pier Maria Saccani, the consortium's leader, tells the Financial Times.

The protests over soaring fuel costs have clogged highways around Naples and Caserta, disrupted deliveries of food and fuel, and even caused jet fuel shortages at two southern airports, per Bloomberg. Retailers warn that fresh goods are going missing from shelves, while reports describe tires being slashed to stop trucks.

Meanwhile, some farmers have ended up feeding unused milk to their animals, to prevent a total waste, Saccani tells the AP. The government has freed up about $1.3 billion for the trucking sector and warned that obstructing vehicles could mean jail time, as national trucking associations now urge an end to the blockades, Bloomberg notes.