Isla commissions IRTA to conduct an audit of centers working with swine fever in Collserola

BarcelonaThe president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, tasked the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) with coordinating an audit to review, "as a preventative measure," all facilities and protocols of centers working with African swine fever (ASF) within a 20-kilometer radius of the active outbreak. This is a further measure to clarify the origin of the outbreak in Collserola, and will complement the investigations already underway by the Civil Guard and the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police). the suspicion that the origin could be found in a laboratoryFurthermore, Illa announced that the number of affected farms has increased—from 39 to 55—but ruled out "any risk" to the meat, which can be sold and consumed. According to the president, the decision to commission an audit is based on the conclusions of the European report, which does not rule out any hypothesis related to the origin of the outbreak. "The Catalan government has not asked IRTA to take any responsibility, but the Spanish government is neither ruling out nor confirming any option. We have full confidence in IRTA and we will see what happened," Illa stated after visiting the advanced command center for African swine fever containment in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda. The Catalan government emphasizes that IRTA-CrESA is the only center in Catalonia working with the African swine fever virus, but there are other institutions promoting lines of research that may be related. "For example, in the affected area there are university campuses where several research groups are located," government sources indicate. Illa has announced that "the best experts" from IRTA—as well as authorities from Spain and Europe—will lead the audit, which aims to conduct a complete review of the facilities and protocols of the centers that handle plague samples within the outbreak area to identify any potential for further spread. The audit will be carried out "as quickly as possible, but with the highest guarantees of thoroughness and safety," the president asserted. "We are doing this preventively. At all times, we have acted diligently to contain the outbreak: the prevention, detection, and response services are functioning at a very high level," Illa added.

On Friday, the Ministry of Agriculture issued a statement indicating that the strain detected in the wild boars that died in Collserola is very similar to the one that circulated in Georgia in 2007. This strain is more closely related to the one commonly used in experimental infections at research centers to evaluate, for example, the effectiveness of vaccines currently circulating in other European countries. This Saturday, the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, emphasized that while there are "indications" pointing to the IRTA laboratory, no hypothesis can yet be ruled out, and he maintained that the Catalan government is acting correctly. In this regard, he said he is confident that the swine fever outbreak is now "contained" and reiterated that the next 15 days will be "crucial" in resolving the crisis.

Before his appearance, Illa chaired a meeting at the Palau de la Generalitat to monitor the situation of African swine fever in Catalonia. The Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau; the Minister of the Interior and Public Security, Núria Parlon; and the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Òscar Ordeig, also participated in the meeting, as well as the Spanish government's delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto. Afterwards, he traveled to the command center in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda.

More farms affected

The day after the agreement to expand the restricted areas, Illa also announced an increase in the number of farms being inspected by the Catalan government. Initially, 39 farms were under surveillance, but the area has now been expanded to 55, affecting up to 80,000 animals. This increase is due to the fact that the restrictions now cover the entire municipal area of the 91 affected municipalities. Therefore, the measures also apply to farms that are strictly outside the 20-kilometer perimeter but are part of an affected municipality. In his appearance, Illa reiterated the financial aid the Catalan government is implementing to support the sector. Following the announcement by the company GCT Plus, which will lay off 300 temporary workers in Santa Eugenia de Berga (Osona), the president emphasized that this support will be linked to job retention and will be used to "maintain production capacity and employment." In this regard, unions and agricultural organizations indicate that the crisis could affect some 11,000 jobs throughout the province, most of them in farms and slaughterhouses, according to EFE.

Restrictions

Since Friday, restrictions have affected 91 municipalities within a 20-kilometer control radius around the outbreak area, where access to natural areas is prohibited. Within this perimeter, until December 14, leisure activities (walking, running, cycling), hunting, and forestry activities are not allowed in areas designated as natural environments. A thousand officers from various security forces were deployed this Saturday at 79 points throughout the perimeter. The officers controlling access have not yet issued any fines for violations of the restrictions, according to Mossos d'Esquadra Superintendent Francesc Parra, who praised "the exemplary compliance of the population thus far." Regarding the possibility of expanding the security perimeter, he stated that "in principle, it is contained within both radii."