Hunting and Fauna: in the area of Nulvi, in the province of Sassari, wild boar hunting has been suspended following the ascertained presence of an outbreak of African swine fever among the local wild boar population.
A new outbreak of African swine fever was detected in the countryside of Nulvi by the veterinarians of the ASL of Sassari. The presence of the virus was confirmed today by the technicians of the IZS of Sassari. The intervention of the mobile killing and disinfection unit of the ASL veterinary service was immediate. Ten pigs were slaughtered and destroyed on the farm in the “Badde” area. Constraint Zones have already been identified: there are 10 companies in the Protection Zone (3km) while 44 are in the Surveillance Zone (10 km).
Within a week, the Veterinary Service of the ASL 1 will carry out the planned clinical visits in the companies concerned, followed by serological samples from all the pigs present on the farms. All the breeders concerned were alerted via SMS.
This morning in Sassari at the Rizzeddu headquarters, the Local Crisis Unit for African swine fever, chaired by the Director of the Asl Prevention Department, Francesco Sgarangella, met to examine the new epidemiological situation. "It is really disheartening that once again at the conclusion of the serological control activities carried out by the ASL veterinarians" Sgarangella commented "all the work is nullified due to censurable behavior by some breeders who evidently, despite the continuous reminders and information meetings and training courses carried out by health professionals do not put in place all the necessary preventive measures useful for avoiding the spread of the virus ".
The Prevention Department is carrying out an in-depth epidemiological investigation which could include, in addition to non-compensation, also administrative and criminal sanctions in the event that gross negligence and / or willful elements emerge. "We ask all breeders in the territories concerned to collaborate and keep the pigs absolutely confined, avoiding in any way contact with wild boars now infected by the virus" is the appeal of the Director of the Prevention Department of the Sassari Local Health Authority.
The Veterinary Service has recorded up to now 17 wild boars positive for the virus, and therefore destroyed, out of a total of 45 checked in the municipality of Nulvi alone. In light of the delicate epidemiological situation and the high risk of contagion for other pig farms, the Crisis Unit has decided to revoke the 32 authorizations for hunting in derogation already issued in that area by the Veterinary Service after consulting the Forestry and Supervisory Corps Environmental at the beginning of the hunting campaign.
3 January 2014
Source: News Alguer