"Why wasn't an exemption requested for controlled vaccination?" This is what Sardinian farmers asked Health Councilor Armando Bartolazzi at a heated meeting held in Orotelli. The topic was bovine dermatitis, including outbreaks, the vaccination plan, and the risk of culling livestock.

Farmers are asking that healthy cattle not be culled , as is currently planned on farms affected by the virus, in an attempt to stem the epidemic that has been threatening affected farms for a month. Thirty-three outbreaks of lumpy skin disease (Lumpy Skin Disease) have been confirmed in Sardinia, but the number is expected to rise, with over 200 animals either killed or culled from the disease, and many more at risk .

To prevent its spread, however, the minister sees no alternative to mass vaccination. "From a practical standpoint, this disease, as we can see, is classified as type A," Bartolazzi points out. In short, the only way to obtain a possible exemption and potentially avoid indiscriminate culling is to vaccinate all animals .

"We're not for or against vaccines: we want guarantees from the vaccines," explains Leonardo Salis, president of Coldiretti Nuoro. "People are just asking for guarantees: they want to know if a vaccinated animal has the disease, whether it's from the vaccine or the virus. Regarding culling, our focus is only on selective culling."

"We propose establishing a project unit, somewhat along the lines of what was done for swine fever," adds Daniela Falconi, president of ANCI Sardinia. "A single voice that provides clear and precise information to farmers, who are clearly very concerned. This is also because it's still unclear when vaccinations will be delivered, how they will be administered, how culling will be managed, and, above all, who will have to negotiate with the Ministry to obtain exemptions for healthy animals ."

(Unioneonline)

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