Italian farm associations have accused France of starting a trade war, by announcing a ban on imports of vegetables from the southern Puglia region because of a bacterial outbreak that has infected hundreds of thousands of olive trees.
French Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll announced the blockade two weeks ago, saying he was taking action on a national level pending a decision by the full European Union on a proposed cull of some 10 percent of the estimated 10 million trees in the hard-hit Lecce area of Puglia.