African swine fever has been eradicated in Sardinia and the European Commission , with a unanimous vote of the Member States, has decided to remove the last restrictive measures still in force on the island due to the virus.
The decision, the Sardinia Region reports, came during the meeting of the PAFF Committee (Plants, Animals, Food and Feed) held today in Brussels.
A devastating disease, African swine fever, which has tormented Sardinia for more than 40 years and is now causing problems in other Italian regions and beyond. The collaboration of breeders, associations, hunters, mayors and law enforcement was fundamental to achieving the result. On the island, where swine fever made its appearance in 1978, no cases of serotype 1 have been recorded in farms since 2018, while outbreaks among wild boars disappeared in April 2019. The latest restrictions removed today concerned eight municipalities in the Nuoro area , and the latest outbreaks were recorded a year ago in Dorgali. From 2015 to today, the regional task force has slaughtered over 5,000 illegal pigs in the wild .
President Alessandra Todde speaks of a "historic" result for Sardinia . But she invites us not to lower our guard, given that the virus is circulating a lot in Italy.
"The Commission - says the governor - has finally recognized the excellent work done by Sardinia, which has defeated a terrible disease that has long tormented our Island, with a devastating economic and social impact, especially for the populations of the inland areas. It is an excellent example of the results that Sardinians can achieve when they unite their forces around a shared goal ".
Gian Franco Satta, Councilor for Agriculture : «Sardinian farmers and all the actors involved have shown the intrinsic stubbornness in the Sardinian character. Years of hard sacrifices, but in the end the result has arrived and the efforts have been rewarded». Now, warns the member of the Council, « we must not lower our guard but persevere in the actions necessary to prevent the disease from recurring ».
Health Councillor Armando Bartolazzi: «Sardinia is a model to follow, especially for those regions like Lombardy that are currently in great difficulty. Even here the disease seemed impossible to defeat, but thanks to a well-designed strategy, a result that many thought was unattainable has been achieved».
(Unioneonline/L)