On 4th September, the European Parliament's agriculture and rural development committee held its first meeting of the new parliamentary session. Among the items on the agenda was a discussion on African swine fever (ASF), focusing on the current situation and future actions.
The meeting began with a presentation by Bernard VAN GOETHEM, Director at the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) of the European Commission. He highlighted the ongoing challenge of ASF across the EU, noting that the disease, which is fatal to pigs and causes significant trade disruptions, currently lacks effective vaccines or treatments. He recalled that the disease was currently continuing spread across Europe, with significant outbreaks reported in Italy, Germany, and Poland.
Several best practices from the Czech Republic and Belgium were mentioned, including successful eradication efforts supported by European veterinarians. The Commission also stressed the importance of improving biosafety measures and managing wild boar populations, which are key vectors for the disease.
Following this overview, MEPs were invited to share their views. MEPs unanimously called for more information on the vaccine research and development process. Other contributions from MEPs included:
- Herbert DORFMANN (PPE, Italy): Expressed concern over the disease's spread and suggested stricter management measures.
- Dario NARDELLA (S&D, Italy): Underlined the economic impact of these epidemics on pork exports.
- Rafaelle STANCANELLI (ECR, Italy): Advocated for substantial wild boar culling in risk areas.
- Elsi KATAINEN (Renew, Finland): Recalled the complexity of managing this disease, highlighting in particular the potential role of consumers in contaminating and spreading the virus through infected food products during cross-border transport, and stressing the need to improve public awareness and education.
- Tiemo WAITZ (Greens/EFA, Germany): Opposed to the culling of wild boar as a primary strategy, suggesting that natural predators such as wolves could help manage wild boar populations.
- Benoit CASSART (Renew, Belgium): Raised concerns about Blue Tongue and suggested further reflection on this vector-borne disease.
- Carmen CRESPO DIAZ (S&D, Spain): Stressed the need to strengthen border controls and adopt sustainable hunting practices.
- Emma WIESNER (Renew, Sweden): Described Sweden's effective management of ASF, stressing the need to learn from best practices and improve biosecurity measures.
In response to the interventions, the European Commission emphasized that large-scale eradication of ASF remains impossible without a vaccine; only efforts to reduce its spread are feasible. While veterinary services in Belgium, Sweden, and the Czech Republic have managed to control the disease using fences to limit wild boar movements, the European Commission highlighted that effective management of wild boar populations and appropriate veterinary measures are crucial in limiting disease spread.
The Commission also discussed the role of hunters, stressing the need for training and awareness to adopt proper behaviors, as the virus can remain infectious on a carcass for up to 6 months. The development of biosecurity measures and uniform restrictions to support agricultural and industrial activities were also mentioned.
Vaccination, although considered the ultimate solution for eradicating the disease, is still in development and will require rigorous evaluations. According to the European Commission, the Vietnamese vaccine -currently the most advanced - does not yet meet European standards. The European Union continues to invest in vaccine research projects, including two new projects starting this year with a total funding of 12 million euros.