Livestock breeders accuse the authorities of failing to tackle full-on the spread of swine flu and request the culling of all pigs on a 10-km area around large farms, the Romanian Association of Sheep, Goat and Pig Breeders and Exporters (ACEBOP) said in a release.
"For strictly political reasons, the government commits to neither the preventive culling of the pigs in the households located around large farms that fail to apply the biosecurity measures, nor to the killing of wild boars. Things are getting out of control, the farmers don't need state compensations, but ease of mind, the certainty that people no longer hide the pigs or dump the dead animals in the field," the statement said.
The farmers said that last week they tried to get the message through that in the Olt and Teleorman counties the farmers are unable to deliver pigs to the slaughterhouse because of the outbreaks occurring constantly in the surrounding households.
A farmer who had the courage to invest 7 million euros for meat production is unable to supply the slaughterhouse because the veterinary authority doesn't bother to seek a derogation from Brussels, but instead shuts him down for months because of the re-occurrence of outbreaks in households, the association complains.
Pig numbers decreased alarmingly compared to 2018 and the decline continues, warns ACEBOP, insisting that the Ministry of Agriculture should order 10-km protection areas around the farms, where all pigs and wild boars should be killed for the sake of prevention.
The measure of the 10-km protection area was discussed about 7 - 8 months ago, when the authorities promised big farmers that appropriate measures would be taken.
"What are they really after, eradicating or spreading the disease? We consider that what is happening today is unacceptable! Just think that tomorrow all Romania could be red. And entire generations won't forgive you for what you are destroying now," warn the association representatives.
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