Stop the swine fever embargo: "historic day" for Solinas, Pd and Lega cold and aligned
From Europe the unblocking of circulation for pork and its by-products. The Region rejoices, criticism from the Carroccio and the opposition: "Communities penalized"
For the president of the Region Christian Solinas it is "an historic result". "A day that we have waited for 44 years, with over 4,000 days of embargo", said the president of Coldiretti, Battista Cualbu instead. Cold, however, the coordinator of the League Dario Giagoni: "We are not totally satisfied." Criticism, of course, the opposition. Salvatore Corrias, with the entire Pd group: "There is little to cheer about."
A very strong opening, which however does not represent a free-for-all: a red zone remains, which crosses part of Ogliastra and affects some centers in the Nuoro area, which remain blocked. A few outbreaks have been detected here – not necessarily with sick animals – in the last twelve months. And the new regulation, which will come into force in January, requires prudence: any easing will be authorized only after subsequent monitoring, which will be quarterly. Meanwhile, 80% of Sardinian municipalities have been freed. For the others, 5 million euros in compensation have been made available.
SOLINAS. When the total blockade was triggered, in 2011, «faced with what, in fact, presented itself as the worst scenario for the companies in our livestock sector, Sardinia began to develop the awareness that only with a concerted effort could find a way out», declares the president of the Region, Christian Solinas, «the moment of closure to exports can be identified as the year zero in which the fight against swine fever takes on a new thrust». The turning point in 2021, with the audit in Brussels which led to the formulation of five recommendations by the European Commission. «We have made every possible effort», adds Solins, «to satisfy Brussels' requests. With the project unit, the IZS of Sardinia, the veterinary services, the departments and competent offices, the CFVA, we have implemented the register of pigs, strengthened active and passive surveillance on animals. We have made our data usable and transparent, always available to the Ministry and the European Commission" . Today the verdict.
COLDIRECTS. For Battista Cualbu, president of Coldiretti, «they have been years of ordeal for the pig sector torn apart by severe restrictions that have pulverized it. But it also gives us a group of resilient and innovative companies, many of which are young people who, despite everything, have courageously invested and believed in the sector and today represent a virtuous example of biosafety breeding". Sardinia today presents itself - according to Coldiretti Sardinia elaborations on data from the National Data Bank of the Zootechnical Registry - with 164,000 heads and 12,900 farms.
THE LEAGUE. "It will be possible to speak of full results only when all the Sardinian Municipalities will be able to market abroad", is the position of the regional coordinator and member of the Lega Dario Giagoni. "The decision taken today by the European Union", he continues, "on the other hand, frees 80% of the island's municipalities from the embargo but closes the remaining 20% which, ironically, are precisely the areas which for years have suffered the slaughter of pigs with a serious and huge economic loss". For the Gallura representative of the carroccio there is still a lot to do: "Although we appreciate this first and partial opening of the EU, I believe that there is still a lot of work to do and that it is essential to standardize the same decision for the whole territory of Sardinia".
THE OPPOSITION. "A situation in which honestly there is little to rejoice, especially if the sacrifices have been made by others over time", reads a note from the Pd group in the regional council. «A situation that we announced because we feared it would come true, despite our trust in the judicious repentance of the European Commission. Which didn't happen, not in the terms we would have liked». For the dem «the contradictions already brought to the attention of the president of the council by the mayors of Baunei, Urzulei, Orgosolo and Talana are revealed today, with whom I agree, in all respects. What was the assiduous and constant commitment to enforce the rules for? What was the point of using every effort to ensure the social stability of our communities? Today one would say that it was useless, and that everything, from now on, runs the risk of getting complicated».
(Unioneonline/E.Fr.)
