The mafia has earned €3 billion (£2.6 billion) over the last decade siphoning off EU funds intended for a national park in Sicily, according to a former director of the protected area who survived an assassination attempt by the mob.

Giuseppe Antoci narrowly escaped with his life in 2016 when assailants ambushed his car at night, placing rocks across an isolated, winding road.

Two or three men opened fire but were fought off and forced to flee by the quick reactions of the director’s police escort.

In a new book, he explains how Cosa Nostra clans in eastern Sicily have made huge profits by siphoning off EU funds intended for the farmers who graze sheep and cattle within the confines of the 200,000 acre Nebrodi National Park.

Mafia families use threats of violence to dissuade farmers from putting in bids to lease out grazing land from the State.

The clans are then able to secure the leases themselves at low rates, often using front companies, and obtain millions of euros in EU subsidies.