Hauliers, farmers and fishermen protest over diesel prices while supermarkets fall short of stock in parts of southern Italy.Protests by lorry drivers over soaring diesel prices entered a new phase on Tuesday, with roadblocks and picket lines continuing across southern Italy ahead of talks with the government in Milan.  The mobilisation, which has been spreading since the weekend, is driven by the rising cost of fuel. Protesters say it is squeezing haulage firms and self-employed drivers and that the government has failed to ease the burden.   Industry representatives link the increases to international tensions, including the conflicts in eastern Europe and the Middle East.   Farmers have joined the haulage workers, and Molise fishermen plan to keep their boats in port on Thursday 22 October. The trucker group Trasportounito is demanding a 15 per cent rise in haulage rates, warning of a “total blockade” otherwise. Where the protests are happening In Campania, drivers spent the night at the Nola toll station on the A30 Caserta-Salerno motorway. There are open-ended blockades at Avellino Est and heavy traffic at Mercato San Severino. Pickets are also in place at A2 junctions in the Vallo di Diano and elsewhere in Salerno province.   In Sicily, protesters are at the Tremestieri and San Gregorio toll barriers in Messina, at Palermo’s motorway entrance and at its port. Blockades have also been reported in Calabria and Basilicata, and outside the Puglia regional headquarters in Bari. Tractors and lorries marched through Bitonto, near Bari. Salvini The Sicilian Trucking Committee (Cts), behind a five-day stoppage, says it is not blocking roads. It says it is only refusing to move trailers off ships, and will end the action once transport minister Matteo Salvini formally signs his commitments.   Salvini, who is also deputy prime minister, said the €430 million already in the budget for the sector would start to be paid out this week. He promised additional funds and cash for the Marebonus shipping incentive. He is meeting national associations in the morning and local groups in the afternoon.   Puglia regional president Antonio Decaro said he will open talks with other southern regions and meet the drivers. Supermarket supplies Empty shelves, especially of fresh produce, have been reported in the Naples and Caserta areas, in Catanzaro, parts of Sicily, Bari and Palermo. Nearly all supermarkets in Messina are short of stock.   A survey by the consumer group Consumerismo found gaps in fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy and fish in five regions: Sicily, Calabria, Puglia, Campania and Lazio. Supplies in the north are holding, though prices are rising.   Confcommercio Sicilia estimates the five days of stoppage have cost retailers and the fresh-food chain €40-50 million on the island alone.   Farm groups warn that produce is rotting, including Pachino tomatoes, and kiwi growers in Calabria say their patience is wearing thin. Household waste collection has also stopped in around a dozen towns in the Messina area.   Photo credit: VanderWolf Images / Shutterstock.com