All pig farming in northern Italy at the meeting with the extraordinary commissioner of the PSA – Parmigiani: the objective of zero wild boars in pig-growing districts is positive, but the carcass in Podenzano tells us another reality. Several million pigs were represented in the Alessandria room at the meeting organized by Confagricoltura on the afternoon of 23 April with the PSA commissioner Vincenzo Caputo. On the speakers’ table, alongside the commissioner, a cohesive team even if worn out by the battle to stop this seemingly invincible disease: Rudy Milani, president of the national pig product federation of Confagricoltura, Giovanna Parmigiani member of the national council and president of the pig section of Confagricoltura Piacenza and Enrico Allasia president of Confagricoltura Piemonte.
In the room many pig farmers also from the province of Piacenza together with the director Marco Casagrande and the communications manager Elena Gherardi.
The commissioner indicated the path of pig breeding districts: areas in which the presence of wild boar must be brought to zero. He reiterated the usefulness of strengthened biosecurity, he pledged to take responsibility for calling into account the ongoing commercial speculations, above all, he spoke and listened for an entire afternoon to the desperate cry of farmers who see their meat depreciated, from one moment to the next another, based on the discovery of wild boars positive for Psa even kilometers from their farm, despite having implemented all the necessary defense measures and despite having healthy pigs.
The commissioner announced the imminent release of the new resolution which should intervene indirectly on unfair commercial practices and will also allow hunters who kill healthy wild boars in the restriction zone to consume their meat without leaving the restriction zone itself. The most interesting step seems to be to actively involve the ATC hunters by requesting their secondment to the State service for 90 days to carry out depopulation plans.
“We thank the Commissioner – Parmigiani and Milani reiterated – the audience is not easy because the desperation is great and unfortunately justified. We hope that today’s fruitful dialogue has further stimulated his sensitivity.” During the afternoon there were several testimonies from farmers who repeatedly declared that they felt “left alone”.
Another shared element of reflection was the clear diversification of situations at a territorial level.
According to the Commissioner himself, “the territories do not all move at the same speed. There are areas such as the Cuneo area and the Pavia area where depopulation actions have stopped the advance of the disease and others have not”.
The Piacenza breeders know this well that on the morning of April 24th they woke up to the news of a positive carcass found in Podenzano and updates and fears about the next restriction zones are being chased in the chats.
Among the many testimonies, the Piacenza breeder Volpicelli spoke: “I have a question, whose wild boar is it? If my dog bites someone I have to answer for it, who is responsible for the damage the wild boars are causing?”.
“We will work at all levels to ensure that pig districts are established – said the leaders of Confagricoltura – but also by admitting that we manage to have zero wild boars in the district, the impacts that we are already having on the supply chain due to a disease that is substantially external to our pigsties, risk ensuring that before reaching zero wild boars we reach zero pigs”.
“Beware – said Caputo – of those who want to speculate on the skin of farmers, because their pigs are the first piece of the Italian cured meats brand which is worth millions of euros in exports. If the farmers die, the transformation also dies.”
“We ask ourselves – adds the director of Confagricoltura Piacenza Marco Casagrande – so that in our areas culling is significantly lower than necessary, despite the availability of hunters and ATCs and despite the willingness of farmers to also contribute economically, the doubt is that there is obstructionism on the part of the provincial and regional political and health authorities” .
