A sow on a farm south of Milan was diagnosed with swine fever in August. Within a week, all 6,200 sows, piglets, and pigs had been slaughtered under strict protocols to halt the disease from spreading further.
The pork industry is a key pillar of the Italian economy, with prized prosciutto, pancetta, speck, and guanciale at risk. Since swine fever first reappeared on the peninsula in January 2022, Italy has exterminated 120,000 pigs, three-quarters of which over the past two months alone as the emergency intensifies. In spite of all regulatory safety measures being adhered to, swine fever is back in Italy, putting local economies and livelihoods on the line.
Lombardy, in the north of the peninsula, has been worse hit so far, with 4,500 square kilometres affected and now essentially on lockdown, including neighbouring Piedmont and Emilia Romagna, famous for their Parma ham.
Swine fever could case loss of 100,000 jobs
The illness does not affect humans, but it is threatening the lives of domestic pigs. An estimated 100,000 jobs are at risk, 26,000 farms could be shut down, and a total of 8.1 million pigs could be culled to contain the disease.
The most affected provinces so far have been Pavia, with 13,000 cases, Lodi, with over 10,000, and Milan, ground zero of this outbreak, with 616 recorded cases, and many more culled as a precautionary measure.
African swine fever is spread through direct or indirect touch or contact with infected pig feed. The speed of expansion of this epidemic suggests a common denominator that links farms in the north of Italy.
