Recent incidents of illness, including one involving 52 employees at a logistics company in Telgate (BG), have reignited concerns regarding the issue of livestock manure in Lombardy. Legambiente has announced a complaint to the Bergamo Prosecutor’s Office and the Forest Carabinieri to contest the illegal spreading practices in agricultural fields, which exceed eight times the total weight of urban waste in the region. As of November 1st, a ban on spreading has been imposed due to adverse weather conditions, but the situation remains critical, highlighting an increasingly unsustainable level of livestock farming.
The annual production of manure and slurry in Lombardy’s farms amounts to approximately 40 million tons, creating serious environmental issues. According to Damiano Di Simine from Legambiente, this quantity surpasses the nutritional needs of crops and contributes to soil and water resource pollution. The urgent need for a regional agricultural policy that balances the number of livestock with the land’s capacity has become essential to ensure the sector’s sustainability and prevent further environmental crises.
