Empordà cattle farmers devastated: "Cow breeds that have been the work of many generations will be lost."

GironaExtreme concern in the Catalan livestock sector following the outbreak of lumpy skin disease (DNC) detected in Alt Empordà. So far, the infection has been confirmed in five cattle farms of Castelló d'Empúries and Peralada, which has forced the slaughter of more than 400 animals and the lockdown of 800 farms in the region, with a total of 93,000 affected calves, cows, and bulls. In order to mitigate the spread of this disease, which is highly contagious by simple contact, either between animals or through insects, the Department of Agriculture has begun vaccinating farms in Alto Empordà within a control radius of 5 km, which will soon be extended to 20. The vaccines come from France, where they have also been produced.

The department, to respect the privacy of the affected farmers and, above all, for security reasons, has kept the affected farms secret. Very close to the second outbreak, less than five kilometers away, is the farm of the farmer Jordi Cros, owner of nearly 500 animals, including adult dairy cows and breeding cows in Peralada. He experiences the situation with great anguish, as his herd, inherited from the work of his father and grandfather, is considered one of the most genetically outstanding in Spain, and any infection would mean losing the lineage of many years of crossbreeding: "The mood is one of abandonment. The vaccines have arrived late, the vaccines have arrived late. It's a matter of hours before more cases appear," he explains to ARA. He adds: "Here we are already considered ground zero, and when the veterinarians arrive, if they detect any symptoms, it can cause the vaccination to be stopped, even if they haven't yet confirmed whether it is this pathology, and that leaves us adrift. We are family businesses that have made multi-million-dollar investments, and now we can only wait 24 or 4."

Just one kilometer in a straight line from the third case, Fran Vidal has two farms with fifty and thirty beef cows of the Albera breed, which are in danger of extinction: "On the neighbor's farm, they were already killing them all. Now," he comments. "The solution can't be to kill all the cows in the area," he says, his eyes watering, while fearing that this news will scare consumers: "I'm afraid this information will backfire on us, when this disease doesn't affect the quality and safety of meat or milk in the slightest," he concludes.

The vaccine does not have an immediate effect

Until the vaccines are administered, farmers are trying to protect their animals with pest control techniques to ward off flies and mosquitoes from infected areas. Raquel Serrat, national coordinator of Unió de Pagesos, expresses the great concern and anxiety felt in the sector. "The vaccine is the only solution, but it will take at least 21 days to take effect, and we fear that negative news will emerge in the coming days," she laments.

Serrat also warns of the devastating emotional and economic impact of the situation, especially for dairy farms run by veteran farmers: "On a fattening calf farm, they can buy new heads, but on dairy and beef farms, a herd of the best breed and quality is built over a lifetime," he explains. And, regarding compensation—for now, the Generalitat has approved a compensation package of four million euros—he adds that "it will not compensate for the real damage." "That could mean a before and after for the livestock model in the Girona regions," he concludes.

A solidarity fund to repopulate slaughtered farms

That's why the Catalan Farmers' Guild, the instigators of the protests a year ago, has launched a solidarity fund to repopulate the affected farms: "Because we don't believe a farm should end up like this, we're calling on all livestock farmers in Catalonia to make some animals available to these farms so that there can be generational relief."