Feisty flamingos threaten production of risotto, Italy’s signature dish, upset local farmers

There’s a sticky situation simmering in Italy — where the solution might need plenty of legwork.

Flamingos have been making themselves comfy in the rice fields of Ferrara, a charming city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for production of the key ingredient in the nation’s signature dish, risotto.

To grow the short-grain rice used for the classic creamy fare, farmers flood their fields in late spring and early summer to germinate their seeds — and they’re not tickled pink by the leggy animals.

The brazen birds have been using their webbed feet to stir up the soil and capture molluscs, algae and insects from the water. Although the animals aren’t touching the rice seedlings, they’re disturbing the critical production process of the plants.

“These are new things that have never happened before. You invest so much time and care into preparing everything. Then, just as the crop begins to grow, it’s like having a newborn child taken away. That’s what it feels like,” farmer Enrico Fabbri, who has faced production losses of as much as 90%, complained to The Guardian.

Flamingos are disrupting rice fields in northern Italy. AP

Desperate to protect their crops, the distraught farmers are taking on the birds by scaring them away with blaring truck horns, banging barrels and even firing cannons — but to no avail.

The feisty flamingos most likely came from the nearby Comacchio valleys, wetlands along the Adriatic coast between Ferrara and the province of Ravenna, but migrated further east due to drought.

The flamingos may flee if the fields were surrounded by trees or hedges and the water levels were decreased, Roberto Tinarelli, the president of AsOER, the Emilia-Romagna ornithologists’ association, told the outlet.

The brazen birds most likely flew there from the nearby Comacchio valleys. Europa Press via Getty Images

“Obviously, we are looking for answers from those who have to deal with the problem. From an environmental point of view, all this is beautiful, but we must keep in mind that rice cultivation is among the most expensive, extensive crops,” said Massimo Piva, a rice grower and vice-president of the local farmers’ confederation.

“They are beautiful animals, it’s their way of moving and behaving, but the problem is trying to limit their presence as much as possible.”