Government and industry agree to cull pigs in the area of the swine fever outbreak

BarcelonaThe Catalan government and key representatives of the sector reached an agreement tonight to cull the 30,000 fattening pigs located on 39 farms within a 20-kilometer restricted area surrounding the outbreak of African swine fever in Cerdanyola, as confirmed to ARA by union sources. An emergency meeting was held tonight at the Palau de la Generalitat (the Catalan government headquarters) between the main stakeholders in the sector, the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Òscar Ordeig, and the Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat. The agreement does not call for the mass culling of all 30,000 pigs, but rather their transport to the slaughterhouse as they reach the end of their fattening cycle. Before being taken to the slaughterhouse, the animals will be tested to certify that they do not have the disease and can therefore enter the commercial market, according to the same sources.

On the one hand, the Secretary General of Asaja, Francesc Salvà, explained that a slaughterhouse has already been found where these pigs will be taken for slaughter. This was a request from the sector that was reiterated on Friday in meetings held with both the Catalan government (Generalitat) and the Spanish government, but which had not been accepted by the administrations until now. In fact, Mercolleida had already requested the slaughter of these animals on Thursday. The owners of the farms in the area also requested it, as they saw that the animals were completing their fattening cycle without being able to take them to the slaughterhouse due to the restrictions.

On the other hand, the Catalan government (Generalitat) has extended access restrictions to natural areas to prevent the spread of African swine fever (ASF). Until now, leisure activities in areas considered natural environments had been prohibited in twelve municipalities and in the Collserola Natural Park, and now the ban has been extended to another 79 municipalities until December 14. Thus, in 91 municipalities, leisure activities (walking, running, cycling), hunting, and forestry activities are prohibited within areas classified as natural environments, according to a resolution from the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food published this Friday. Official Gazette of the Generalitat (DOGC). Natural areas are defined as wooded areas; riverbeds and streams; meadows and cultivated fields; and parks and paths outside urban areas, in addition to natural parks, according to sources from the Department of Agriculture. Access to the Collserola Natural Park also remains closed, and now the protected natural areas of Sant Llorenç del Munt, Sant Miquel del Fai, the Marina Range, the Coastal Range, and the Besòs River Park have been added.

Access to homes and professional activities, or those unrelated to personal leisure, such as normal academic activity in schools and at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​located in the municipality of Cerdanyola del Vallès, where the outbreak began, remains permitted. Therefore, restaurants, riding stables, sports centers, and other businesses located in natural areas within the municipalities affected by the restrictions may operate normally, but the government asks customers and users to limit access to the usual routes. However, the movement of flocks of sheep or goats is not allowed—although African swine fever (ASF) does not affect sheep and goats—to prevent the spread of potentially contaminated pig biological remains. The government will provide businesses with disinfectants for shoes and vehicle wheels, along with instructions on how to use them and which types are most effective. It will also install disinfection areas outside businesses. The resolution does not require citizens to disinfect, but the Government recommends it as a measure to prevent the spread of African swine fever (ASF). In these 79 municipalities, the restrictions approved this Friday will remain in effect until December 14. From the 15th onwards, they will only be maintained for scheduled leisure activities in natural areas involving large groups of people (for example, mountain races and pilgrimages in natural areas). Among the measures in the resolution is also a change in the nomenclature of the areas affected by the restrictions, following the recommendations made by the European Commission and the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture. Thus, the 12 municipalities located within a 6-kilometer radius of the point where the first two infected wild boars were found will be reclassified from "infected zone" to "high-risk zone." The remaining 79 municipalities located between 6 and 20 kilometers will be reclassified from "surveillance zone" to "low-risk zone." For now, the Catalan government is maintaining a deployment of over 700 officers, including Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police), local police, and firefighters, to prevent public access to the restricted areas. These officers have set up fixed and mobile checkpoints. In addition, another 300 personnel continue to examine the affected areas in search of dead or sick wild boar. Yesterday, the Ministry of Agriculture increased the number of wild boar tested positive for the virus from 9 to 13, all found within the 6-kilometer radius. Despite the increase, the Catalan Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Livestock, and Food, Òscar Ordeig, stated this Friday in an interview on Catalunya Ràdio that "the percentage of positive cases has decreased dramatically." The laboratory at the Animal Health Research Center (Cresa-Irta) is analyzing all the dead or hunted wild boars found in the affected area. If any infected cases are found, they are sent to the Central Veterinary Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture in Algete (Madrid), which confirms positive cases. In fact, this Friday, the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, and the Catalan Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, indicated that the analyses of the dead wild boars show that the variant of the virus present in Collserola is different from, but similar to, the variants found in other European Union countries. Ordeig did not rule out the possibility that the outbreak originated at Cresa-Irta itself, located a few kilometers from where the first infected wild boars were found, but said it is still "too early" to know for sure. Laboratory officials They assured this week on the ARA They have not detected any incidents that suggest the virus could have spread outside the center, which has very high biosafety measures.

Layoffs

Aside from the control measures, the epidemic continues to have an economic impact on the Catalan agri-food industry. This Friday, the company GCT Plus, based in Santa Eugenia de Berga (Osona), filed for temporary layoffs (ERTE) for 458 workers, citing the effects of African swine fever (ASF) on the company's operations, according to ACN. Some of these affected employees worked for other companies such as Grupo Jorge, Rivasam, and Le Porc. In fact, yesterday Mercolleida, the benchmark market in Spain for pork prices, called for the culling of some 30,000 pigs in Catalonia from the affected area to prevent the virus from spreading to other parts of the country. Furthermore, the wholesale market reduced the price of pork by 10 cents and warned that slaughterhouses will run out of space for frozen meat "within days." Farmers' unions are also calling for the animals to be killed and for the producers to be compensated.

So far, no infections have been detected among cattle on any of the 39 farms located within a 20-kilometer radius of the initial outbreak. These farms are prohibited from allowing live animals to enter or leave their premises, with the exception of those destined for slaughter. On Friday morning, at a meeting in Madrid with representatives of pig farming associations and unions, the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, stated that culling the pigs in the restricted area is unnecessary because the livestock on the farms are free of the virus. This week, technicians from the regional government inspected the farms and tested the animals, finding no evidence of the virus. They made recommendations to the companies to increase hygiene and disinfection measures beyond the usual ones to prevent contagion. A second round of inspections will be carried out on the farms next week.

In accordance with EU and international health protocols, the Spanish government had to suspend all Spanish pork exports outside the EU and negotiate market reopening with each country. China, the main market outside Europe, has accepted pork imports with the exception of those originating from the Barcelona region, while countries like the United Kingdom and the Philippines have opted for the criteria applied by the EU itself and only prohibit the entry of products produced within the 91 municipalities within a 20-kilometer radius. In total, Catalonia exports approximately €1 billion worth of pork annually outside the EU and another €2 billion to EU countries.