Livestock farming to be enhanced
“The enhancement of livestock farming and the well-being of livestock must go hand in hand, which is why we are working on the creation of an interdisciplinary sector, with dedicated technicians, between the Departments of Health and Agriculture”. This comes from the annual conference of Cia Piedmont on the state of the art of the sector, the announcement of the Regional Health Councillor, Federico Riboldi. The meeting focused attention on health emergencies – Psa and Blue Tongue above all – which risk compromising not only animal welfare, but the profitability of a sector that represents an undisputed excellence of Piedmont. The works, hosted by L'Isola della Carne, the agricultural company and agri-butcher's shop led by the president of Cia Asti, Marco Capra, were inaugurated by the presentation of the 2024 Agrestino Award, which went to the veterinarian of the ASL AT Fausto Solito, a historic point of reference for breeders in the area. His career boasts 45 years of activity in the field: the beginning as a veterinarian, then a long specialization in infectious diseases of the bovine breed, accompanied, in recent years, by the commitment within the territorial operational group that deals with African swine fever. “My life has always been among breeders, I could have retired but I asked to extend the activity for another two years because I love my job immensely” commented the award winner. “Public health needs veterinarians and Fausto Solito is an example of great professionalism fully immersed in the reality of the territory”, underlined councilor Riboldi flanked in the award ceremony by his colleague Marco Gabusi, who has among his responsibilities the defense of the soil.
The spread of the plague
The debate introduced by Marco Capra, Cia Piemonte's representative for livestock, took stock of the interventions aimed at containing the spread of Psa. Giorgio Sapino, Regional Commissioner for the emergency, recalled the three key points of the current strategy: the depopulation of wild boars, the active search for carcasses and the essential biosecurity measures in farms. In this regard, Riboldi pointed out that the Region will continue to support farmers, not only with forms of compensation and contributions for the necessary investments, but also through the search for new tools and systems that hinder the spread of Psa by land and by air (there would in fact be evidence of a contagion that occurred through an infected bird). On the recent spread of Blue Tongue V8 (bluetongue transmitted by a tiny fly), the councilor recalled that the Region has purchased 40 vaccines, but specified that "a closer dialogue with the pharmaceutical industry is necessary to develop more effective solutions against the virus and with fewer side effects for animals".
Vaccine hoarding
Franco Martini, president of Asprocarne, recalled the importance of a European initiative to contain the spread of Blue Tongue, in order to avoid a war between states for the hoarding of vaccines. Elia Dalmasso, president of the Arap Piemonte breeders' association, Franco Serra, president of Arap Asti and Andrea Rabino, president of Anaborapi Piemonte (National Association of Piedmontese Breed Breeders) focused attention on the cohesion between breeders and institutions to promote animal welfare and the growth of the supply chain. In this aspect, the data shows a decrease in small farms, crushed by the increase in production costs, and consequently a slight increase in farm gate prices linked to the lower supply of meat for the same demand. The issue of company profitability remains a priority: "We must not let our guard down - urged Serra - because the value today is similar to that of 20 years ago, but the costs are much higher". While Rabino highlighted the progress made by Anaborapi experts in the selection of the Piedmontese Breed, Guido Groppo, president of Coalvi (the Consortium for the protection of the Piedmontese Breed) emphasized the national and international recognition, in the medical and scientific fields, obtained by PGI meat both on the nutritional front and for the environment, as certified by the Sustainability Report developed with the University of Turin. Coalvi's latest initiative concerns solidarity: the proceeds of the 2025 calendar just printed will fuel the collection of funds for the Regina Margherita pediatric hospital. All participants requested councilor Riboldi to take strong political action in favor of the law that imposes traceability on the origin of meat within the HoReCa channel. In his role as deputy president of the State-Regions Conference, Riboldi assured his commitment to overcoming the obstacles that stand in the way of the approval of the law to protect the sector and consumers.
Wildlife
In his conclusions, the president of Cia Piemonte, Gabriele Carenini, recalled the organization's battles for the containment of wild fauna, wild boars in the lead, which have been out of control for too many years, with unbearable consequences for damage to crops, road safety and the spread of Psa. "The wild boar breed must be eradicated - Carenini asked - culling remains a fundamentally important tool to prevent the spread of the infection, we must absolutely not lower our guard, because stopping now means nullifying all the progress that has been made up to now and finding ourselves next spring with an exponential proliferation of new litters. In the fight against African Swine Fever, breeders are doing their part by strengthening biosecurity measures, but it is necessary that the authorities keep their agreements on the containment of wild boars and do not stop the culling". Appreciating the Region's choice to create a new synergy between actions to protect the health of livestock and the valorization and promotion of Piedmontese meat, Carenini launched an appeal for an ever stronger union of intent within the meat supply chain, an excellence that contributes to the recognizability of Piedmont as a brand and guarantee of quality of Made in Italy (source: CIA).
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