An alarming situation
The situation for the pig farms Pavia has now reached unsustainable levels due to swine fever restrictions. Farmers have not had any income for almost two months, in the meantime the costs of maintaining animals, veterinary surveillance and the application of biosecurity measures are constantly rising, also putting at risk the related activities that revolve around the sector such as feed mills, resellers of agricultural machinery and plant protection products. Added to all this, is the decision of some processors not to collect meat slaughtered by the two companies in the Cremona area indicated by the Lombardy Region, as the meat comes from the Pavia area. The fact that it is meat from healthy pigs is of no use, as guaranteed by the continuous analyzes carried out on the animals, we preferred to ignore the legislation which provides that the meat is intended only for the production of cooked cured meats or raw hams with at least 400 days.
The protection zones
It is therefore more fundamental than ever to reduce the perimeter of the protection and surveillance zones: the zoning, which currently concerns 172 Municipalities and appears to remain in force until 18 November, will be discussed on 6 November in the European Commission in the presence of the Ministries of Health and Agriculture. The hope is that it will be decided to modify the protection and surveillance zones, placing most of the province of Pavia in zone 1, which has less restrictive rules. For Carlo Emilio Zucchella, president of Cia Pavia, the redefinition of the zones is a fundamental point for the survival of companies: "For a month now there have been no other outbreaks, which means that the safety measures are working. The breeders, as well as the trade associations, do not trust in compensation (also because millions of euros would be needed to save the sector) but ask to be able to continue working".
How can you survive
Zucchella again: “There are currently 30 thousand animals that should be slaughtered as soon as possible. In two weeks the picture will worsen further, with the risk of having 60 thousand at the end of November, exorbitant numbers, which is why the destination of the meat must be managed as soon as possible." And how will farmers survive this situation? “The time has come to decide: either we kill the animals, hoping for compensation, or, as we hope will happen, the protection and surveillance zones will soon have to be limited. However, a commitment from everyone is needed, from institutions to private individuals, to help a sector that risks collapsing, taking with it all the players in the supply chain if action is not taken immediately", concludes the president of Cia Pavia (source: CIA).