Sardinia free of African swine fever
The turning point came after 11 years, and after a seemingly endless series of limitations and penalties for a significant sector of the Sardinian economy. "The end of the embargo with the cancellation of the absolute ban on the movement of pig animals and products from our region represents a fundamental turning point for the Sardinian livestock sector, as well as the achievement of a goal that the island has been pursuing for some time", declares the president of the Region Christian Solinas, who expresses satisfaction with the outcome of the vote in Brussels.
The changes approved in Brussels will officially come into force in January with the update of the EU regulation. "In the coming weeks - continues Solinas -, together with the Ministry of Health, we will define the guidelines regarding traffic exceptions for the areas of the territory still subject to restrictions. But the most important aspect derives from the fact that all these areas, in addition to the fact that they can benefit from exemptions for the handling of animals and products, will be subject to a periodic reassessment with a progressive revision of the constraints, until their complete cancellation throughout the regional territory if the epidemiological framework remains unchanged. Moreover, in the areas of the so-called "red zone", where there are currently restrictions on the movement of live animals, we already have 5 million euros prepared for compensation to companies".
"We have worked hard to achieve this milestone. The fight against African swine fever was a long struggle that required commitment and sacrifice, along a path that was not always linear. The turning point came with the last audit of the European Commission, in November 2021. We welcomed Brussels' requests as an indispensable opportunity and were able to give concrete answers thanks to which we were able to start a dialogue with the Commission Union and the Ministry of Health on a level never seen before. Never before has the Region, in its political part, sat down at the table with the European Commission to discuss the revision of the restrictions. In May we reached an agreement to draw up a precise timetable and on a monthly basis we brought the state of progress on the measures put in place to the Commission's table, up to this day. A result of all Sardinians, made possible thanks to a concerted effort, which has seen not only the Project Unit, the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Sardinia, the Forestry Corps, Forestas, Laore and the veterinary services of the ASL, but also the mayors, hunters and trade associations who, in recent years, have made a fundamental contribution".
In fact, since 11 November 2011 Sardinia could not export pigs (live or slaughtered) outside its borders with swine fever which appeared for the first time on the island in the now distant 1978 in southern Sardinia, presumably arriving from the Iberian Peninsula through food waste arrived in the port of Cagliari or at the military airport of Decimomannu, and then spread to the inland areas of the island with transhumance.
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