Ordeo on the IRTA audit regarding swine fever: "Everything indicates that the facilities and protocols are fine"

BarcelonaThe Catalan Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, assured on Friday that the facilities and protocols of the IRTA-CReSA Animal Health Research Center in Collserola "are fine." This conclusion, the minister says, is based on data collected during an audit being conducted at various research centers to try to determine if the virus originated in one of these laboratories. Ordeig made this statement during an appearance at IRTA after yesterday's events. A joint operation by the Mossos d'Esquadra and the Guardia Civil will search these laboratories Within the framework of the investigation to determine the origin of the African swine fever outbreak, the regional minister stated, "Pending some additional documentation that we still need, everything points to the expert audit indicating that the facilities are in good condition, the protocols are correct, and everything has been done properly." Ordeig also added that experts from the European Commission and the Ministry of Agriculture have so far found "no indication" or "any evidence" that the African swine fever (ASF) outbreak originated at IRTA-CReSA. At virtually the same time, the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, echoed this sentiment and defended the center's workers. "There is no data to suggest that things were not done correctly," he asserted during the presentation of the neighborhood plan. Illa also offered the Catalan government's "full cooperation" with all the investigations being carried out to try to clarify the origin of the outbreak.

In this regard, Minister Ordeig framed yesterday's searches as "normal" within the investigation and explained that it was the Generalitat itself that granted access to the agents "in case it was necessary for them to do anything." "It is in this context that yesterday's search was carried out, in which the police collected samples and documents so that they are also included in the reports of the other administrations," argued Ordeig, who insisted that his department is being as transparent as possible.

"We have done the impossible: contain the outbreak within a 6-kilometer radius."

The Minister of Agriculture also congratulated the teams working to contain the outbreak: "We have done the impossible: we have managed to keep the outbreak within this initial 6-kilometer radius," he said. The Minister also quantified the data collected so far: a total of 360 wild boars have been captured, of which 26 have tested positive. "This is 7% of the total, for reference," he explained. He also stated that there is one final specimen that could be confirmed as positive (the 27th) in the coming hours. Furthermore, captures and traps will continue to be set "where the technicians indicate," the Minister assured.

"Let the scientists do their work," Ordeig urged. "Excellence also means collaboration, facilitation, and proactive work." The regional minister also praised IRTA as a world-renowned center of excellence and asserted that Catalonia needs centers like these to address future challenges in various fields, such as health, climate change, sustainability, and business competitiveness.

Guaranteeing exports

The Catalan government (Generalitat) also explained this Friday that Japan has agreed to import Spanish pork stored in cold storage facilities since before the start of the African swine fever outbreak, meaning it was stored in cold storage before October 29. Regional Minister Ordeig assured that this is an important step because it guarantees that all this meat "can be exported without any problems." Ordeig also expressed optimism about the possibilities opened up by the agreement signed by France and Canada with Japan to continue receiving meat from these countries even in cases of outbreaks in parts of their territories. Specifically, the Generalitat highlights that Japan has accepted the sanitary zoning of these countries to preserve trade flows and that the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture is currently in negotiations along the same lines.

On the other hand, although Catalonia declared the outbreak of contagious nodular dermatosis, which affects cows, over this week, Ordeig has expressed concern about the increase in cases of this disease in France. The regional minister, who specified that compensation to the affected Catalan farmers will be paid "before the end of the year," announced that controls on the entry of animals from France will be reinforced with "additional measures." "We import a lot of calves from this country, and we have to be very vigilant," the regional minister said.