There Is An Epidemic Of Deadly African Swine Fever, Italy Bans Hunting Activities

Hunting illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Dolovis)

JAKARTA - Italy on Thursday banned hunting and some other outdoor activities in two northern regions hit by recent outbreaks of African swine fever, a deadly swine disease.

African swine fever is harmless to humans, but is often fatal to pigs, causing financial losses to farmers. The disease originated in Africa before spreading to Europe and Asia, killing hundreds of millions of pigs worldwide.

The order, signed by Health Minister Roberto Speranza and Agriculture Minister Stefano Patuanelli, affects 114 rural areas in the northwestern region of Piedmont and Liguria, where four wild boars were found to be carrying the disease.

In addition to the hunting ban, it will also be prohibited from gathering mushrooms and truffles, fishing, hiking, biking in the area "and any other activity (involving) direct or indirect contact with infected wild boars," the order reads.

Except for the broad hunting ban, targeted hunting of wild boars will still be allowed in an effort to control their numbers while monitoring the spread of swine fever.

The discovery of the disease in Italy could be a blow to meat producers, as governments often block imports of pork products from countries where the disease is found, as a way to prevent transmission.

The order, which takes effect immediately and will run for six months, "will allow our production activities to continue to operate safely, providing assurances regarding our exports," the ministers said.

In China, the world's largest pork producer, African swine fever destroyed half a herd of pigs within a year of being detected there in 2018. Last year, Haiti and the Dominican Republic confirmed their first outbreaks in the Americas in nearly 40 years.

To note, China and other pork buyers banned imports of German pork in September 2020, after the first cases of African swine fever were confirmed in wild animals in Germany.