The territories involved
Over 13 wild boars have been killed in the areas at risk of spreading African Swine Fever (ASF). This was communicated yesterday afternoon in the Agriculture Commission by the Regional Councillor for Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry Alessandro Beduschi. In the hearing, at the request of Regional Councilor Massimo Vizzardi (Azione-Italia Viva), the Councilor updated the data on the slaughter of wild boars, the main vectors of the ASF virus: 13.205 animals in nine months, distributed across all the provinces of Lombardy. There are three areas where the slaughters were more numerous, above 2 thousand animals: Como (3.324), Brescia (2.691) and Varese (2.429). Pavia follows just under 2 thousand animals (1.763) and then Lecco (974), Bergamo (919), Sondrio (598), Milan (301), Cremona (172), Mantua (20), Lodi (13) and Monza Brianza (1).
Extension of the culling
Councilor Beduschi focused on the constant increase in slaughters over the last three years: 7 thousand in 2021, 14 thousand in 2022 and 16 thousand in 2023. To speed up the slaughter campaign, the hunting season, which began on October 1, has been extended until January 31. "These numbers demonstrate that the system is working, also thanks to the decisive collaboration of the hunting world - commented the President of the Agriculture Commission Floriano Massardi (Lega) -. Hunters are giving us a huge hand in the fight against ASF and in the action of eradicating the virus at zero cost to the community. For months now, they have been carrying out a public service of prevention and protection of the pig sector included in the triangle of the provinces of Brescia, Mantua and Cremona, where there is a very high concentration of farms and slaughterhouses. On our part, there is maximum attention to protect a supply chain that has already suffered significant damage from the closure of important outlet markets such as North America. In the war against African swine fever, we will not retreat one step”.
Tools for containment
President Massardi also announced the presence at the Agriculture Commission hearing in November of the new Special Commissioner for African Swine Fever (ASF), Giovanni Filippini, appointed by decree of the President of the Council of Ministers on August 8. Councilor Beduschi indicated the tools for containing the virus with which the new Special Commissioner has given further impetus to the fight against ASF and a new organizational system: slaughter of wild boars, strengthening road and highway barriers, epidemiological surveillance of domestic pigs, early diagnosis and biosecurity of establishments and farms, active search for carcasses of dead wild boars and epidemiological monitoring to assess the distribution of the virus and the progress of the epidemic.
Highest intensity areas
On support for companies, Alessandro Beduschi specified that calls for tenders for 7 million euros have been activated for company biosecurity interventions; resolution no. 2941 of 05/08/24 was approved, which increased the regional fund for financial incentives established at Finlombarda by 3.800.000 euros for operating credit to pig farms only; the second decree for indirect aid was obtained from the Government, on which approximately 5 million euros were disbursed, while with DL 64/24 the state fund was increased by 20 million euros to finance biosecurity interventions. During the debate, regional councilors Carlo Bravo (Brothers of Italy), Matteo Piloni (PD) and Paola Pollini (5 Star Movement) spoke out, expressing the need to protect the areas with the highest density of livestock farming, hoping that the Lombardy Region would intervene directly or indirectly, through state and European funds, to compensate operators for the economic damages suffered (source: Lombardy Region).
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