The absolute ban on the export of Sardinian pork and their derivatives remains in force "without any derogation even with respect to certified farms".
This is what emerges from the latest provision issued on 11 March by the Project Unit of the Region, the operational arm for the fight against African swine fever in Sardinia, which kept all the limitations in force without any changes for the years 2022 and 2023. already present for farms, for processing activities and for exports.
The ban on introducing Sardinian meats to authorized export establishments also remains in force, even when they guarantee complete separation of the processing cycle. This was denounced by the Confindustria of Central Sardinia, which considers this decision "an all-out defeat for the island and yet another disappointment, also because given the epidemiological situation which has been favorable for some time, we all expected a relaxation of the restrictions".
"On the contrary, the disparities in treatment with other areas of Europe continue to be accepted where - the association maintains - even in the presence of an important epidemiological situation of the circulation of the African swine fever virus, systems have been found not to completely block the circulation of productions ". For this reason, together with the other trade associations Confindustria wants to bring forward an appeal before the European Court of Justice "to protect us from the enormous damage suffered in all these years".
"Years of slaughter and a capillary plan of eradication and contrast, which have led to enormous sacrifices and damage to the entire Sardinian pig production chain, have not allowed our island to free itself from the embargo imposed on one of the most promising sectors of our agri-food sector", explains the Confindustria of central Sardinia. "The whole region remains in the red zone despite the latest cases of virus circulation on the island being identified over three years ago and only in some restricted and well-defined areas".
"The publication of the Project Unit document took place in silence and, also thanks to the latest news stories, between the war in Ukraine and protests over price increases, it did not have great importance even though it represented yet another blow to a strategic production chain for the economy of Sardinia ", the industrialists are pressing." The block on exports has been in force for eleven years and in all this time of restrictions and penalties, none of the proposals brought to the attention of farmers and processing companies is been taken into account ".
(Unioneonline / vl)