Bovine dermatitis: Farmers protest: "The lockdown is unsustainable, enough is enough."

"Patience is running out. Sardinian farmers have been living with restrictions and restrictions on cattle movement for over 15 months. After making enormous sacrifices and accepting every prescription from political and health authorities, after committing themselves to the vaccination campaign, trusting the health authorities' recommendations, vaccinating 98% of their farms and approximately 97% of their cattle, and after complying with everything asked of them, today the farmers are saying enough."

Coldiretti Sardegna has announced a demonstration for tomorrow involving the entire Sardinian cattle farming community. The rally will meet at 10 a.m. in Olbia, at the Isola Bianca port.

"We are also deeply concerned about the news emerging from the communication from the Regional Department of Agriculture, following the meeting in Rome on the confirmation of the 20-kilometer surveillance zone," the agricultural organization adds. "This decision further fuels uncertainty and difficulties for farmers and makes a breakthrough in managing the emergency even more urgent. This is why we are calling for the disease to be downgraded and the protection zone to be reduced, so that the restrictions are proportionate to the current epidemiological situation and do not continue to indiscriminately penalize Sardinian livestock farms. Sardinia has demonstrated it has done its part, with extremely high vaccination coverage and compliance with health regulations."

Meanwhile, however, the cost of the emergency continues to fall on businesses. "Farmers are forced to sustain months of costs to feed and maintain animals that cannot be moved, with expenses rising daily and no ability to plan their business operations as normal. For this reason, we are also calling on the Region to provide adequate and immediate financial assistance, because everything cannot be left to the farmers," concludes Coldiretti.

The last confirmed outbreak of lumpy skin disease dates back to early June in Escalaplano , southern Sardinia: an outbreak that has not yet been declared extinct according to the national veterinary epidemiological bulletin.

(Unioneonline)