The Mansholt Plan and the March 1971 Farmers' Protest in Brussels: the Case of Italy

This article analyses the limited participation of Italian farmers’ unions in the demonstration and the changes it brought to the Italian farm labour force. The first reason for their non-participation was these farmers’ lack of economic means. Italian farmers were among the poorest in the Community and would have had to travel far. Reaching Brussels from Italy, especially from the centre and the south, required a long and costly journey. The second reason was political. Although not always willing to acknowledge it openly, the Italian unions agreed with the demands of the Italian government, which had supported the Mansholt Plan throughout the negotiations. Many of Italy’s demands were accepted in the Plan, and the resulting reform would also ultimately provide support for Italian agriculture. Instead, the demonstrators attacked the Plan and demanded higher prices for the products for which Italy was a strong importer while major Italian production – especially Mediterranean produce – was not supported by the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).