A concrete response for thousands of Sardinian farmers affected by the 2024 bluetongue epidemic . A regional resolution allocates €21.7 million, destined for 3,524 beneficiaries.
"These funds are essential for providing breathing space for businesses," Coldiretti Sardegna emphasizes. "We are pleased with the signing of the agreement and ask that aid reach the companies that have been waiting too long as soon as possible. However, these interventions cannot be considered the definitive solution."
Indeed, Battista Cualbu, president and director of Coldiretti Sardinia, and Luca Saba, emphasize that "blue tongue is no longer an exceptional event, but a problem that in recent years has become almost endemic in Sardinia, further exacerbated by climate change and the spread of the vector, the Culicoides. As we have long been saying, alongside compensation, we need a structural approach to the problem: not just emergency interventions after the damage has occurred, but structural and permanent prevention plans. We need to invest continuously in vector control, disinfestations, the use of repellents, animal welfare, and timely and well-planned vaccination campaigns, so as to be prepared before outbreaks occur."
In 2024, bluetongue alone caused the death of over 50,000 heads , with hundreds of thousands of animals not generating income for farms because they were unproductive in terms of milk and lambs.
(Unioneonline)
