Police in Grosseto have stepped up controls on the transportation of live animals imported into Italy from Eastern Europe for Easter and destined for slaughter in the Maremma area of southern Tuscany.
A task force comprising veterinarians and police officers has so far stopped six lorries - of which two coming from Romania and collectively transporting around 1,400 lambs - to check documentation and transport conditions for the livestock.
Lamb is considered a traditional Easter meat dish in Italian cuisine.
One lorry driver arriving from Romania had allegedly failed to comply with the requirement to make a scheduled stop to allow the lambs to rest and was fined 1,000 euros.
In other cases, the inspectors found non-compliance with the regulations on driving and rest hours and the drivers were fined 580 euros.
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