Wild boar disease threatens Parma Ham production

Swine fever is putting the production of Parma ham, an award winning Italian food exported all over the world, at risk.

The ever-increasing number of cases counted in Emilia Romagna is endangering the supply chain. Several wild boar carcasses were found in the area and, after analysis, were found to be infected with the disease

The danger is not for human health, but for the commercial sector, which for months has been struggling to stay afloat by dealing with the continuous restrictions that see new countries refuse to import Parma’s famous ham. And the companies, with exports blocked, are calling for drastic measures.

Currently, according to La Repubblica, at least 15 Parma ham producers can no longer export to Canada, a country that does not accept products from restricted areas. But China, Japan and Mexico have also blocked exports, and the United States and Australia could next.

The threat is the passage of the virus from wild boars to pigs, a spread that would put livestock farms at serious risk. The Region is now calling for drastic action to eradicate the virus in order to help farms. The Coldiretti union, which points out that the sector is worth over €20 billion to the economy, therefore wants to mobilise the army in a cull of wild boar to save the industry.