Rossend Saltiveri (Unió de Pagesos): "We must be forceful and make sure surveillance in Collserola is real"

BarcelonaRossend Saltiveri is the head of the pig farming sector at Unió de Pagesos (Farmers' Union). In recent days, he has been constantly on edge due to the outbreak of African swine fever in Collserola, a situation that has shaken the sector. For this reason, he is urging the government to "be decisive" and ensure "real surveillance." In fact, like the entire sector, Saltiveri considers it essential that the cases remain within the affected area and do not spread the disease to other places, and above all, that it does not occur on farms. For this reason, Saltiveri welcomes the Catalan government's request for assistance from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) of the army to control the perimeter of the affected area. In his opinion, "we cannot let our guard down," and any measure to contain the disease, such as preventing access to the area and even fining those who disobey and enter it, is welcome.

In fact, for the head of the pig farming sector of Catalonia's main agricultural union, the deployment of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) "is paramount," and he believes that right now the most important thing is that the virus "doesn't escape" from the current area and that, as soon as possible, no new cases are found to "reset the counter to zero." For a country to be declared free of African swine fever, a year must pass without any new cases being reported.

Saltiveri emphasizes that, for the moment, the disease remains restricted to wild boar and no cases have been reported on farms. In fact, he believes that farmers must act to keep their farms free of the disease, but in the case of wild animals, such as wild boar, "it is the authorities who must act decisively." "We hope that [the disease] doesn't enter the farms," Saltiveri exclaims.

But African swine fever is not just an animal health problem; it also has a significant economic impact. According to the latest data from government agencies, an export business worth around €8 billion across the country and More than 1 billion euros for Catalonia is at stakeIt should be noted that Catalonia has a pig population of almost 8 million head – 7.93 million in 2024 according to Idescat. The detected cases prevent any movement of pigs from the 39 farms within the 20-kilometer safety perimeter. Therefore, Unió de Pagesos considers it crucial that the disease does not spread further. But the declaration of even one case already has an economic impact on the sector, explains Saltiveri. In this regard, he calls for the full involvement of the Ministry of Agriculture. negotiate with third countries that import Spanish pork that they accept the regionalization of the disease, as China has done. That is, that pork products from the province of Barcelona could not be exported to countries outside the European Union, but that the ban would not affect those from the rest of Catalonia and Spain.

"There will be repercussions in the economic sphere," Saltiveri asserts, which is why he is asking the ministry to start working now to finalize bilateral agreements with countries that import Spanish pork so that the economic impact "is minimal." Besides China, other states such as South Korea and the United Kingdom seem willing to accept this regionalization. "It is necessary that other countries accept this," says the head of the pork sector at Unió de Pagesos.

"The economic impact," says Saltiveri, "will affect the entire sector. The first blow will be to the industry, but it will affect the rest of the chain, such as slaughterhouses and livestock farmers, to a greater or lesser degree." He cites the example of Germany, where production in the sector has fallen by 30% since the outbreak of African swine fever. "If confidence is restored and the disease does not spread further, the economic impact can be minimized," assures Rossend Saltiveri.

Possible aid

For the head of the pig sector at Unió de Pagesos, it's still too early to talk about possible financial aid for the sector, although he believes it will have to be provided in the future. "Aid hasn't been discussed yet; that will be the next step," he says, and believes that right now the priority is for the ministry to open markets through bilateral negotiations with importing countries. But Saltiveri also believes that if the disease ends up spreading or the impact on exports is very significant, other measures will have to be taken, such as government agencies buying and storing meat. Because, as he explains, production is planned year after year. Sows are inseminated, and there's a natural breeding season that can't be stopped overnight. "You can't just shut down production like a factory," explains Rossend Saltiveri, who also points out that there are many jobs in the sector.