Immediate intervention is needed to stop the spread of African Swine Fever and protect a sector that is one of the flagships of Made in Italy at the table, with a value between production and related industries of approximately 20 billion euros and one hundred thousand jobs. This is the appeal launched by Coldiretti which asks for a change of pace on the management of a presence of wild boars now out of control which is facilitating the spread of the disease and threatens farms. Wildlife is practically the only vector for the spread of Swine Fever.
The situation – highlights Coldiretti Cuneo – remains worrying with cases of swine fever continuing to increase, putting at risk the entire sector and the Cuneo pig production chain which includes 800 companies and almost 900,000 animals destined mainly for the protected circuits of the main Italian PDOs for preparation of the best national delicatessen, such as Parma Ham and San Daniele.
“It is essential to continue, on the one hand, to increase the depopulation of wild boars, especially in the areas where the latest cases of plague have been detected, in order to avoid a further expansion of the restriction zones, and to allow, on the other hand, businesses pig farms their full activity to protect the company’s income” he declares Enrico NadaPresident of Coldiretti Cuneo, who comments: “The Ministry’s request to the European Commission for a different approach is good, so that if a sick wild boar is found kilometers away from a stable, the decision is not triggered to cull thousands of perfectly healthy pigs”.
“The only solution to stop the spread of Swine Fever – claims the Director of Coldiretti Cuneo, Fabiano Porcu – is to implement all possible actions to contain the invasion of wildlife that steals income and future from agricultural businesses. The immediate risk is that the spread of Swine Fever will trigger export restrictions”.
The potential damage, according to Coldiretti analysis of ISTAT data relating to foreign trade in 2023, is equal to 2.32 billion euros.
