31 Oct 2018 Spanish and Italian hunters agree on strategies to stop African swine fever

On 30 October, the president of the Royal Spanish Hunting Federation (RFEC), Ángel López Maraver, and the president of the Federazione Italiana della Caza (FIDC), Gianluca Dall’Olio, held a meeting last Saturday with the aim of establishing strategic lines of work to fight against African swine fever (ASF) in Spain and Italy.

López Maraver and Dall’Olio point out the importance of reducing wild boar populations to ensure that Spain and Italy remain free of ASF, in line with the recommendations of the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA). Hunters, as well as any other people (tourists, transporters etc.), should also be aware of the disease when travelling, especially in the infected zones in Europe. The implementation of bio-security measures and caution when transporting meat are advised.

Both federations addressed the involvement that Spain, Italy and France should have in FACE for the defence of the hunting activity in the countries of the Mediterranean area. FACE, and its members, have been working on the topic of ASF since it posed a danger to hunting in Europe. The European Commission takes a very active approach to this disease, informing the non-infected countries and actively supporting the infected countries.

Read press release in Spanish here.