Catalonia begins vaccinating farms outside the Girona outbreaks of dermatosis

GironaThe Catalan government has given the green light to a new phase of vaccination to combat contagious nodular dermatosis (CND), which, for the moment, It affects eighteen cattle farms in the Girona region.The Department of Agriculture will begin vaccinating approximately 370,000 animals outside the current restricted zones, expanding coverage to include Central Catalonia, the Pyrenees and the Aran Valley, as well as parts of the Barcelona, ​​Penedès, and Lleida regions. This measure comes after no new outbreaks of the disease have been declared outside the three existing restricted zones in Alt Empordà and Gironès since October 24. The new additional restricted zone comprises a total of 23 counties where no positive cases have been detected so far, but where vaccination is necessary as a precaution to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus. Thus, from now on, Catalonia has two distinct vaccination zones: Zone 1, corresponding to the areas where the disease had been declared, and Zone 2, or the Additional Restriction Zone (ARZ), where the administration of doses is now beginning. Vaccination will be carried out simultaneously in both zones. The plan, developed jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture, was approved by the European Commission, which is responsible for validating all protocols related to this disease, considered a priority for eradication. The Spanish government's plan also anticipates starting vaccination in the easternmost part of Aragon, where many livestock farms are concentrated, and, for the time being, the Terres de l'Ebre region is the only area in Catalonia excluded from the cattle farm immunization protocols.

Farms around the incinerator are a priority

As in the Girona area, this second phase of vaccination will also prioritize farms with dairy and beef breeding animals to preserve genetic heritage and ensure continued production. Subsequently, purebred feedlots without breeding cows will be targeted. Priority will also be given to the five-kilometer radius around the carcass disposal plant in Térmens (Noguera), where more than 2,000 head of cattle from Girona farms affected by the outbreaks have been incinerated in recent weeks. The other priority area will be farms near cattle slaughterhouses with the highest volume of animal movement. During the vaccination period, the movement of live animals is prohibited in the additional restricted zone, except for those destined for slaughter, while milk can be sold and transported without restriction. Currently, vaccination rates in the first outbreak area of Castelló d'Empúries have reached 88.9% of farms and 95.5% of animals. Across the three initial outbreak areas, coverage is at 74.07% of farms and 75.66% of animals. These figures are increasingly close to the target of 90% of farms and 75% of the population vaccinated, which would allow, should new positive cases be detected, the culling of the entire farm to be avoided.