MADR Meeting with a Spanish delegation on African Swine Fever

On April 3th, a Spanish delegation headed by Professor José Manuel Sánchez-Vizcaíno meets with the Minister of Agriculture of Romania to discuss the issue of the African Swine Fever.

Translation of the press release from the ministry:

Petre Daea, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, received a delegation of African swine fever experts headed by Dr. Jose Manuel Sanchez-Vizcaino, an animal health professor at the University of Madrid and expert at the MADR headquarters on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. World Organization for Animal Health on African swine fever. The invited delegate also included engineer Iani Chihaia of the National Association of Combined Fruit Manufacturers in Romania, Megan C. Niederwerder (Kansas State University), Enric Marco Granell (EAPHM President) and Gonzalo Mateos.

In addition to the Minister Petre Daea were Secretary of State Daniel Dumitru Botanoiu, Alexandru Ţachianu, Undersecretary of State Maricel Floricel Dima, Director General of the Directorate General for Agricultural Policies, Elena Tatomir, Director General of the European Affairs Department, International Relations and Roxana Zarma , Deputy General Director of the Agricultural Policy Directorate, Mihai Neagu, Director of the Animal Welfare Policy Maria Toma, as well as the vice-presidents of ANSVSA, namely Dr. Csutak Nagy Laszlo and Dr. Octavian Ilisoi.

Discussions at the meeting focused on the topic of African Pigs (AAP) and on the steps taken to combat this disease.

Petre Daea made a detailed presentation of the situation of the PPA on the territory of our country as well as of the measures taken by the Romanian authorities regarding the evolution of the epidemic in Romania: from the appearance on 31 July 2017 of the first confirmed outbreak in a household located on the outskirts of the municipality Satu-Mare, with the peak of the epidemic reached in 2018 and to the present moment, when the tendency of decrease of PPA in our country is noted.

Petre Daea stated that since the first outbreak, the measures contained in the Contingency Plan were immediately put into operation, with an institutional collaboration of all those involved in combating the PPA.

 In his turn, the professor said that our country's situation is complex, given that we are bordering countries experiencing this virus but which are subject to different rules to combat PPA. Jose Manuel Sanchez-Vizcaino pointed out that, although in our country the pigs are a tradition, the population, through the measures implemented by the authorities, realized the seriousness of the situation in Romania.

He also showed his willingness to train technical staff involved in combating PPA in Romania at a university in Spain. He appreciated the involvement of the authorities and the ability of the Romanian minister to have a comprehensive view of the virus and thanked him for his warm reception and the way he understands and addresses the issue of the PPA.

In conclusion, Petre Daea expressed his gratitude to the teacher for all the support he had given since the first meeting for the capacity to manage the situation of African swine fever in Romania and for his valuable contribution to the academic environment.

Original article: "Întâlnire cu o delegație din Spania pe tema Pestei Porcine Africane"