Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Luis Planas ordered on Wednesday A message of reassurance to “citizens and the pork sector” In response to the outbreak of African swine fever declared in Barcelona. “You can continue to consume pork and pork products because there is no risk,” he said in an interview on RTVE.
Planas confirmed that there were “no positive results” on the livestock farms analyzed Within the 20 km security zone They were created around the epicenter of the outbreak, in the Collserola mountain range. The minister said that “there were no positive cases in the farm’s pigs,” stressing that “biological safety procedures that the sector knows well because they are protocol” are being applied.
In this sense, it has had an impact “The key thing is to isolate any livestock farm from an outbreak.” To this end, the Ministry is “acting with great strength and determination” in cooperation with the Federal Government, the UME, the Civil Guard, the local police and the Rural Guard. “You have to keep your guard up and not let him down at any time,” he said.
The minister confirmed that so far “tests have proven that nine wild boars” were infected with swine fever after analyzing the 40 corpses found in Collserola and that all results were positive. “They are located in a 6 km surrounding area.”. He also noted that it was an outbreak “similar to a case that occurred 4 or 5 years ago in the Ardennes, Belgium” and that “we know how to act to avoid greater evils.”
In this regard, he explained that if the infection was detected on a livestock farm, “the rules of European regulations would have to be applied,” which implied “Sacrifice all animals” From that farm. He noted, however, that if this situation occurs, there are “compensation mechanisms” for livestock farmers, which are stipulated in the laws of society.
Spain exports pork to 104 countries
Regarding exports, Planas emphasized that “Spain has a reputation as a serious and strict country. “Which complies with all the rules” And that if the outbreak has “price-level consequences,” there will be compensation as well. The Director of Agriculture commented, saying: “Until now there were 13 countries infected with swine fever, and now we have another country,” explaining that to restore the status of a country free of swine fever, “12 months must pass after the extinction of the last outbreak.”
Planas explained that Spain exports pork to 104 countries 24 of them agreed to “regionalization”That is, they limit the veto on Spanish meat imports to the province of Barcelona. One of those countries is China.
On the other hand, in the European Union, regionalization is limited to a 20 km security zone created around the source of the outbreak, allowing “Export without any restrictions from a 20 km radius”. “The good news is that the United Kingdom has agreed to apply the same European demarcation of 20 kilometers,” Planas explained.
“Then there are countries like Canada that are also implementing regional structuring, but that They asked us for more information He added: “From the government, we will unite technology and diplomacy to defend the interests of the pork sector.”