Risks, fears, and consequences of the disease that threatens all dairy farms in Catalonia

GironaThe outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD) that currently affects Seventeen dairy farms in Alt Empordà and one in Gironès, has all cattle farmers in Catalonia on tenterhooks. While the Department of Agriculture and Livestock's vaccination campaign progresses 50 km around the outbreaks of the disease, the sector is experiencing days of "fear" and "anxiety," hoping that the virus does not spread and the situation does not worsen further. Meanwhile, the markets remain stable, with a certain "tense calm" in the prices of milk and beef, as we await the impact of the disappearance, overnight, of the nearly 2,000 head of cattle that have already been recovered.

Meetings between the administration and the sector are held daily, while sixty teams of public and private veterinarians administer an average of 7,300 vaccines daily to the affected areas, which extend from the border with France to Central Catalonia. First, dairy and beef farms are vaccinated, which are the result of the genetic work of many generations And finally, those of fattening calves, which, despite the difficult situation of a health void, are easier to replace with a new calf. Imma Puigcorbé, a livestock farmer and veterinarian deeply involved in vaccinations, describes her daily routine over the past few weeks: "When you arrive at a farm, they wait for you as if you were a miracle. The farmers are very scared, they're afraid, and they want to vaccinate them as soon as possible to avoid it."

A challenge to spread everywhere: "We're distressed."

The main fear of livestock farmers in Catalonia and the rest of Spain is that the disease, which is extremely contagious and spreads through direct contact or vectors, will spread. An infected fly, mosquito, or horsefly can fly distances of 5 or 10 kilometers, but they can easily cover large areas if they enter trucks carrying any type of livestock. The outbreak began in early summer in Italy, on the island of Sardinia, with 47 outbreaks. It then spread to Lombardy, many kilometers away, and in July the first cases emerged in the border region of Savoy, France. Since then, France has seen more than 80 outbreaks since the summer, some in northern Catalonia, separated by more than 100 kilometers from the source: "We're worried the same thing could happen here. We're vaccinating faster than in France, but there are factors we can't control; the disease is experiencing leaps and bounds that leave us baffled," warns Asoprovac, an association that brings together 250 dairy farms in Catalonia.

El Segrià, far from the Girona cases, is the Catalan region with the most dairy farms, around 700, and the farmers are experiencing the situation with concern: "It is not the same as having sanitary spaces next to home, but we are distressed, we follow the department's updates and we have the uncertainty that, at any moment, we have the uncertainty of fattening with 800 calves in Massoteres (Lleida). "We ask that vaccination be expedited and that the entire territory be covered," he says.

Beyond waiting for the vaccine, which takes 21 days to complete immunity, dairy farmers can carry out preventive measures such as disinfecting the animals and trying to keep out flies, mosquitoes or horseflies with perimeters clean of wet straw or feces. It is also necessary to control the entry and exit of trucks and visitors and the staff must wear protective clothing disposable.

Beef prices stagnate for three weeks

In this context of uncertainty, veal sales have remained stable in recent days, albeit with a degree of caution. In Lleida, the only national trading platform in Catalonia, located far from the outbreak but linked to Girona slaughterhouses—which remain operational—producers and buyers meet weekly to set prices. After a few weeks of rising prices due to the structural shortage of veal, prices have stagnated since the outbreak of the disease. "It may happen that, once the outbreak is controlled, the price continues to rise due to a lack of supply, or that it may fall if export lines are closed and the domestic market must absorb all the supply," predicts Violeta Sancho, a beef market analyst at Mercolleida. She adds: "The production cycle of a calf is very long, so the animals being slaughtered now will impact production a year from now."

As required by European regulations, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food has banned the export of live cattle, which until now had been primarily purchased by Morocco and Lebanon. Animal imports from France are also not arriving, where live cattle trafficking is also prohibited, and carcasses currently cross borders without restrictions.

Likewise, consumer demand for veal has not declined, as consumers have not reacted with fear or skepticism to news of vaccinations and slaughter. Authorities and experts have repeatedly emphasized that the dermatosis is not dangerous to people, and no contagion has ever been detected through contact with or ingestion of meat and milk. However, although there is no danger, the sector also assures that no sick animal will ever be slaughtered.

The sudden loss of thousands of liters of milk production

The situation is similar in the milk sector, where the price has remained stable at around 50 cents per liter. However, companies, whether or not they have infected farms, are very concerned: "We are experiencing the worst crisis we've ever had in our sector. Fear is widespread," says Jordi Riembau, president of the Llet Nostra cooperative, which brings together around 100 dairy farmers from across Catalonia. However, Riembau is confident that a catastrophic scenario will not occur: "The disease is very concentrated, so for now it's very unlikely we'll run out of milk, and I don't think we'll ever have positive fields producing." Dairy companies that worked with farms that had to euthanize their animals have lost a volume of around 300,000 liters of milk per month in just a few days, but since they were not strictly dependent on the virus, they have been able to continue their production operations normally.

The market price of milk has not been affected, but the cost of their daily work has increased for producers in the affected areas: "The disease has broken the wheel, we have more expenses and our productivity is reduced. There are many services that we have had to cancel, such as podiatry," explains Jordi Cros, a farmer from Peralada who has already vaccinated his herd.

Experts endorse the measures: "Sanitary gaps are needed"

Contagious modular dermatosis displays fairly obvious symptoms, with animals running very high fevers of 41 or 42°C, becoming listless, stopping eating, with nasal discharge and visible skin nodules. It is a disease present in Africa and Asia, which has only rarely entered Europe: "It's worrying because we don't normally have it, and that's why when it's detected, it's necessary to apply radical measures such as sanitary gaps to prevent it from becoming endemic," argues Mariano Domingo, professor of animal health and anatomy at the Autonomous University. He adds: "With diseases like these, prevention isn't done because it's hoped they won't enter, and simply, when they do, people rely on vaccination and border containment measures to curb animal movement."

This is what the European Union's guidelines and protocols, which are the same for all countries, state: "We must reach 90% of farms and 75% of the census vaccinated in the outbreak, then the Generalitat and the ministry will be able to ask Brussels to change phases and there will no longer be any need for health gaps," said vice president of the General Council of Veterinary Colleges of Spain. At this time, the department has already vaccinated 80% of the animals that are in the first protection radius.