Swine fever: provisional amendment to the Cinta Senese PDO specification. But producers remain on alert

The arrival of African swine fever in Tuscany has forced the Consortium for the renowned Cinta Senese PDO to revise its production regulations in order to safeguard the farms, following the culling of around 300 animals out of the total of 3,200 covered by the designation. Meanwhile, yesterday, 30 July, the Special Commissioner for the PSA, Giovanni Filippini, responded to the appeal from a number of associations representing small-scale and extensive farmers to review the measures planned to tackle the emergency at national level following the spread of the virus beyond the region’s borders.

According to the organisations that signed the letter, the impact of the measures adopted in recent years to manage the emergency (the first case of the latest wave of ASF dates back to 2022, but so far the outbreak has remained confined to the northern regions, editor’s note) has taken on devastating economic proportions for extensive and small-scale livestock farms, and the current management of the emergency also risks compromising the heritage of livestock biodiversity. ‘Whilst compensation is slow to materialise for farmers who have had to cull their livestock in recent months – leading to the closure of many small farms – further resources are being allocated for the culling of wild boar and the construction of physical barriers; measures which, as the facts show, have failed to contain the spread of the disease,” report the associations representing the organic sector, including Slow Food, Federbio and Legambiente.

“The specific method of semi-wild rearing (such as that of the Cinta Senese, ed.) entails specific requirements in terms of risk management and calls for additional and enhanced measures,” explained Filippini. ‘The concerns expressed by the associations deserve to be heard and will be discussed at the meeting already scheduled for 5 August, which will therefore provide an opportunity for practical discussion to work together towards the goal of containing the spread of the virus and to set out the strategy being implemented in detail.’

In recent days, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Region of Tuscany and the Protection Consortium have developed a strategy in close collaboration to enable Cinta Senese PDO breeders to swiftly address the consequences of the spread of ASF. The regional executive has given the go-ahead to the measure which temporarily authorises certain amendments to the specification for Cinta Senese PDO, enabling farms to adapt to the biosecurity requirements necessitated by the health emergency, without jeopardising the future of the designation.

“The approval of these temporary exemptions is a crucial step towards ensuring business continuity for farms during an extremely delicate period,” emphasised the Consortium’s president, Nicolò Savigni – for 12 months, in the event of a public health emergency, it will be possible to slaughter and safely store animals even outside the traditional areas, without compromising the quality and identity of the product. It is a timely measure to protect an indigenous breed at risk, enabling farmers to comply with biosecurity requirements whilst safeguarding production.”