The lives of thousands of Sardinian cattle hang in the balance at the Regional Administrative Court (TAR). A ruling is expected today or tomorrow at the latest on two appeals filed by two companies challenging the measures issued by the Sassari and Nuoro local health authorities (ASL) to cull all cattle, even healthy ones, due to some cows testing positive for lumpy skin disease, the new disease that threatens to bring the entire sector to its knees.

The health authorities' orders had already been suspended by administrative judges. The extermination of all animals from the two farms considered to be outbreaks was halted by appeals filed by lawyers Gian Michele Canio and Raffaele Soddu, representing a farmer with livestock between Sarule and Orani, and by lawyers Antonello Rossi and Claudio Contu, representing Società Agricola Agropower Srl. Given the common theme, the hearing on the merits of both cases has been scheduled for this morning .

Agropower initially postponed the hearing until September—it happened on July 11th. However, the State Attorney's Office, on behalf of the Ministry of Health, requested a shortened deadline: health authorities are in a hurry to define intervention strategies to try to contain the epidemic. There are already 29 official outbreaks, and the disease continues to spread.

The course of action announced by the Region includes: health surveillance, mass and mandatory vaccination (300,000 doses available), and the culling of all animals on farms where LSD has been found positive. The farms' lawyers have requested that healthy cows remain untouched: the farms' doors would be open to veterinarians who could perform tests, with results guaranteed within 24 hours. This is approximately the same timeframe, at most, that the judges have given themselves to make their decision. Tensions are running high, and farmers are waiting for clear answers: many are unwilling to see their capital destroyed, while compensation is unclear.

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