‘We ask to be recognised’: small fishers claim €12bn EU fund favours big players

Artisanal shellfish farmers face ruinous losses but money meant to help is going to the powerful fishing industry, say critics

Early on a warm September morning in southern Italy, Giovanni Nicandro sets out from the port of Taranto in his small boat. Summoning his courage, the mussel farmer inspects his year's work - only to find them all dead, a sight that almost brings him to tears.

We have many problems," he says. The problems start as soon as we open our eyes in the morning." The loss is total - not only for Nicandro but also for Taranto's 400 other mussel farmers, after a combination of pollution and rising sea temperatures devastated their harvest.