Bovine dermatitis, Coldiretti is ready to mobilize: if the ban on animal movement isn't lifted soon, protests will ignite throughout Sardinia.
"Every day that passes continues to be a grave loss for a sector that has demonstrated responsibility and integrity," emphasize the president and director of Coldiretti Sardinia, Battista Cualbu and Luca Saba. "Our farmers have done everything, down to the last step: they respected the rules, vaccinated their animals, followed every indication. Now we demand that Europe and its institutions be equally fair to the individuals, businesses, and families involved. It's time to provide answers: lift the restrictions in the areas that have reached the expected percentages and immediately unblock movements. If we don't receive immediate signals, we are ready to mobilize. We can't waste any more time; too many businesses are at the limit, and too many economic activities risk never recovering."
Herd immunity – Sardinia today, Coldiretti highlights, is a virtuous region and ready to restart: regional vaccination coverage has reached approximately 96% of livestock and 97% of farms . Like Gallura, which was one of the first virtuous areas, Southern Sardinia, the Oristano and Cagliari areas, and large areas of the Province of Nuoro have now reached the required percentages of vaccination coverage. Currently, only about thirty open outbreaks remain, and at this point, the restricted areas must be delimited 50 kilometers from the outbreaks. Therefore, the rest of Sardinia can and must now be freed. "These numbers demonstrate a completely changed, regressing epidemiological picture, and they make the continuation of the current restrictions unjustifiable. These results are the fruit of collaborative efforts between farmers, veterinary services, and Coldiretti, which in recent months has supported sector operators with assemblies, technical meetings, and ongoing support in managing prophylaxis and vaccination procedures. A constant commitment that has allowed companies to move correctly and with a sense of responsibility."
Immediate lifting – "We demand that restrictions be lifted in all areas that have reached the established percentages, which is the vast majority of Sardinia. Every day lost," the organization denounces, "represents enormous economic damage to a sector that had finally regained market demand, favorable prices, and growth prospects. The continued restrictions are stifling the recovery of a region that, being an island, has no other outlets: the block on sales beyond the Tyrrhenian Sea is causing a loss of margins and long-standing customers; the halt in internal movements is jeopardizing business management; business liquidity is at a minimum; many families risk not surviving the winter."
And all this is happening despite Sardinia demonstrating discipline and efficiency in its healthcare management, "exactly what Europe and the institutions had asked for. Coldiretti, which has supported farmers at every stage in recent months, is now calling on politicians to do the same: immediate action is needed, not delays. The future of a sector that represents the economy, jobs, identity, and a heritage that Sardinia cannot afford to lose depends on it ."
(Unioneonline)