A major effort to contain Africa n swine fever (ASF) has dominated Italy’s pork industry focus, following developments reported last week. The Guardian highlighted the challenge as the country grapples with its largest ASF outbreak since the 1960s, threatening the broader meat supply chain.
About 34,000 pigs were culled in Lombardy, a region often called Italy’s pig belt because of its prominence in Europe’s pork production. The outbreak spread quickly through this key farming zone, creating a national security risk for the meat sector given its central role in production and distribution.
The Lombardy situation prompted warnings that the disease could have far reaching consequences for the entire industry. Francesco Feliziani, director of the Prophylactic Institute of the Experimental Zoo of Umbria and Marche, which serves as the national reference center for ASF, described the country as being in a strong position overall despite the crisis.
One infected farm was adapted to operate as a mobile slaughter facility while authorities explored rapid containment measures. A spokesperson for an animal advocacy group noted that the practice had been in development for several days as part of the wider response.
Pigs on farm macro agencies
“Workers transferred pigs from other infected farms to temporary gas chambers inside containers where the animals were sacrificed,” a representative cited by RT stated, reflecting the harsh realities of disease control in affected zones.
The elimination of Italian pigs has been portrayed as a necessary step to curb the disease, as there is no vaccine available for ASF, Feliziani explained.
Vincent ter Beek, editor of Pig Progress, which tracks ASF developments globally, noted that while Italy faced severe sacrifices, they were not the highest in the European Union. He recalled that Romania experienced ASF outbreaks in recent years and emphasized that the numbers in Italy, though severe for producers and animals, were not unprecedented within the EU context.
Pigs suffer from African swine fever agencies
Ter Beek added that the EU has seen ASF in several countries. Sweden was among the latest to report cases. More than 2,000 outbreaks occurred across 14 countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Germany, Poland, Moldova, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Slovakia and Ukraine, according to reports from major outlets.
Among responses, Belgium managed to halt the spread by building about 350 kilometers of artificial barriers, while Germany contained the outbreak in its eastern regions along the Polish border with extensive investments and roughly 3,500 kilometers of barriers.
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