The Italian agricultural umbrella organization Coldiretti demands that the government take measures against the spread of African swine fever (ASF) among wild boars. The powerful agricultural umbrella organization not only wants higher budgets for compensation for pig farmers if ASF is found in their livestock, it also advocates for more electric fences.
The spread of swine fever poses a direct threat to pig farms in the country, especially in the north. In the Piedmont and Liguria regions, as well as in parts of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, six farms have already been affected by the disease. This has led to the slaughter of thousands of pigs to prevent further spread.
“The new outbreaks require rapid investment to improve biosecurity on farms. We can no longer stand by helplessly and watch the indiscriminate slaughter of thousands of healthy animals as the virus spreads in a wild population that has gone out of control,” Coldiretti President Ettore Prandini told ANSA.
“The new outbreaks require rapid investment to improve biosecurity on farms. We can no longer stand by helplessly and watch the indiscriminate slaughter of thousands of healthy animals as the virus spreads in an out-of-control wild population,” Coldiretti president Ettore told the Italian news agency ANSA.
Before swine fever broke out in Italy two and a half years ago, Coldiretti had asked for fences and barriers to be built near major road infrastructure, such as railways and motorways. If this had been done, we would not have these problems today, it is now said.
Not only Italy, but also other European countries are struggling with the rapid spread of African swine fever. In France, the president of the largest farmers' union, FNSEA, has sounded the alarm about the consequences of the disease for agricultural production. The situation in other countries, such as Estonia and Poland, is also worrying.