Commissioner Caputo and the Region must implement all the necessary measures to preserve a fundamental sector for the economy of the Piedmontese territory
Immediate intervention is needed to stop the spread of swine fever and protect the entire sector and the Piedmontese pig production chain which has around 3 thousand companies, a turnover of almost 400 million euros and 1 million 200 thousand animals destined, above all, for protected circuits of the main Italian PDOs for the preparation of the best national delicatessen, such as Parma and San Daniele ham. This is what Coldiretti Piemonte states when addressing the extraordinary commissioner of the PSA, Vincenzo Caputo, and the Region since the situation remains worrying with the cases continuing to increase.
“The numbers of culls still remain low, although significantly improved compared to 2022, but it is essential to continue to increase the depopulation of wild boars, especially in the areas where the latest cases of plague have been detected, in order to avoid, at the same time, a further expansion of the restriction zones, and allow pig farms to carry out their full activity to protect company income – explains Bruno Mecca Cici, vice president of Coldiretti Piemonte with territorial delegation to animal husbandry -. For this reason, the eradication action must be further strengthened, also through the re-activation of nocturnal selection hunting and the current legislation must be modified in order to manage procedures concerning wildlife separately from those concerning pig farms. If the farm has respected all the biosecurity rules, it is therefore necessary to allow and guarantee its full activity over time”.
“Since companies have invested to adapt in terms of biosecurity, it is absolutely necessary to preserve the 3 pig districts identified in Piedmont, within which there cannot be wild boars, within a radius of 15 kilometres. Reason why the Region must undertake to implement all the necessary actions for the total removal of wild boars, involving all the relevant bodies, including parks – highlight Cristina Brizzolari, president of Coldiretti Piemonte, and Bruno Rivarossa, confederal delegate -. A different approach is also needed at a European level 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 immediate risk is that the spread of swine fever will trigger export restrictions”.
