Coldiretti Imperia is raising alarms over hefty retrospective water bills affecting local farmers, prompting the organization to demand urgent meetings with key officials. The agricultural association is particularly concerned about the charges imposed for the period from January to June 2022, which many local enterprises received without adequate notification or clarity.
Recently, Coldiretti reached out to Claudio Scajola, the ATO water commissioner's act, and Cecilia Brescianini, the sub-commissioner, to discuss what they describe as excessive and unclear retroactive billing. This dissatisfaction was ignited by there's reception of considerable bills from the Rivieracqua company, which provides water services for agricultural use. According to Gianluca Boeri and Domenico Pautasso, president and director of Coldiretti Imperia, their organization previously worked diligently to negotiate more favorable terms for water usage, achieving some success earlier this year. “We have worked intensively to find a sustainable solution,” they stated, reflecting on their efforts to secure more manageable water pricing for local farmers.
The backdrop to the current outcry lies within Coldiretti's earlier actions, particularly the legal recourse taken against new pricing regulations announced on December 28, 2023, which adversely affected agricultural operations. Farmers began receiving bills they found difficult to process, leading them to question the validity of the new tariffs. Many of these bills reflected unannounced charges dating back several months, adding unforeseen financial pressure.
At the heart of the issue is the impact on approximately 600 agricultural enterprises within the Imperia region, which together consume around 594,000 cubic meters of water annually—an amount representing only 16,924,373 cubic meters, including overall local consumption. Yet, these businesses, following sustainable practices, find themselves burdened with costs associated with potable water use, which is significantly costly due to the lack of dedicated resources for irrigation.
Boeri and Pautasso highlighted the efforts made by farmers to use water efficiently, emphasizing their commitment to employing low-volume irrigation systems aimed at maximizing available resources. “Our farms are virtuous, they adopt drip irrigation systems and low-volume methods to optimize available resources. But the absence of dedicated irrigation water networks forces us to irrigate with drinking water, which has extremely high costs. It is a paradoxical and unacceptable situation,” they elaborated, shedding light on the operational challenges faced by local farmers.
The situation extends beyond just pricing controversy; livestock farms are also severely impacted by the existing framework—or lack thereof—surrounding water management. Critically absent infrastructure and irrigation solutions are leading to unsustainable practices, and the current dispute could exacerbate these challenges for the farmers. “This lack of adequate infrastructure is causing enormous economic distress, compromising the viability of fundamental activities for our territory,” they warned.
Boeri and Pautasso reiterated their urgent request for dialogue with Scajola and Brescianini to clarify the legitimacy of the retrospective charges, particularly focusing on the first half of 2022's tariffs. They well understood the pressing nature of the situation: “If we do not receive adequate responses, we will be forced to act through appropriate channels to defend the rights of our agricultural enterprises.”
Moving forward, Coldiretti Imperia is pushing for long-term structural solutions to alleviate these economic pressures, advocating for the establishment of dedicated irrigation water networks, among other necessary reforms to guarantee sustainable future development within the agricultural sector of the province. Their call for immediate action from local institutions emphasizes the urgency and necessity of addressing these pressing financial concerns amid the backdrop of agricultural diligence and sustainability.