September 10, 2024
EU not close to getting vaccine against ASF as Italy, Germany, and Poland see disease's resurgence
The European Commission has warned that the European Union is not close to finding a vaccine against African swine disease (ASF).
This summer, Italy, Germany and Poland have seen a resurgence in cases of ASF. The spread of outbreaks in pig farms and forests in recent weeks is causing particular alarm in Italy, with the northern region of Lombardy – where more than half of the country's pigs are reared – hardest hit.
On September 2, Giovanni Filippini, the extraordinary commissioner for ASF in Italy, told the Italian news agency ANSA of a "complex" situation, with 18 outbreaks in Lombardy, 5 in Piedmont and 1 in Emilia Romagna.
As authorities impose transport restrictions and order culls, the Commission warned that scientists in the bloc are struggling to develop the much-needed vaccine to eradicate the disease on a large scale.
"We have been consistent in investing and consistent on failing," Paco Reviriego Gordejo, head of unit at the Commission's Directorate General for health and food safety (DG SANTE), told the European Parliament's AGRI committee on September 4. According to Reviriego, ASF is a particularly complex virus that has "nothing to do" with past vaccination challenges such as COVID in humans, or rabies in animals.
"Our science is not yet up to a level where [it] can provide us with a vaccine that is safe and effective," he added.
Last year, Vietnam became the first country in the world to approve a swine fever vaccine. But months later, the Word Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said the manufacturer had not shared enough data with international bodies.
Asked about the possibility of importing the Vietnamese vaccine into the bloc, Reviriego expressed scepticism that it would meet EU standards.
The Parma Ham Consortium, which represents the interests of producers of the famous Italian PDO, said consumers are already experiencing the economic conseuquences of the disease.
"The prices of cured meats are skyrocketing and swine fever is to blame," representatives of the consortium told national news agency Adnkronos on September 3, pointing to a reduction in the number of animals.
- Euractiv