The discovery in a small farm in the red zone of Lazio. The extraordinary commissioner: the killing starts quickly
by Micaela Cappellini
First cases of swine fever positivity on pigs. To identify them, in a small farm in the red zone of Lazio, were the veterinary services of the ASL, as confirmed by the Councilor for Health of the Lazio Region, Alessio D’Amato. Since the epidemic broke out in Piedmont and Liguria last January, swine fever had so far only been found in wild boars. The discovery of the sick specimens will require a change of pace in the strategy for the containment of the infection: “Now we will quickly kill everything around,” said the extraordinary commissioner for the swine fever emergency, Angelo Ferrari. “Now the red zone and the infection zone will all be reviewed,” he added.
Above all, the two cases of swine fever – which is often lethal to animals but not transmissible to humans – put the nearly 50,000 pigs reared in Lazio at risk. «Now it is necessary to intervene with the immediate modification of article 19 of law 157/1992 – writes Coldiretti – simplifying the procedures for the adoption of the abatement plans approved by the regions and the strengthening of the powers of the commissioner office. The risk is that the emergency widens and areas with a high production vocation are declared infected, with the consequent economic damage that could result for the agri-food supply chain and employment in a strategic sector of Made in Italy “