The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food claims that it has remained in “constant contact” with the Autonomous Communities and the sector regarding the epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHE), which does not affect humans. In a press release, he points out that Secretary General Fernando Miranda reported that when the disease was first discovered in Spain, the first meeting was held with the General Directors of the Autonomous Communities, where the action strategy was decided in the short term, “before the vector spreads Miranda highlighted the role of official municipal veterinary services “as the first line of defense and care for livestock farmers and the autonomous communities in general”. And also that the drought, which leaves the animals lacking water and grass, worsens the disease.
On March 29, he explains in a press release, he called the Directors General again “to define the short and medium-term strategy”, and he points out that “the Ministry’s technical services have kept in touch since then”. Permanent collaboration with the technical services of the Autonomous Communities for the surveillance of the affected farms and for the serological analysis of the disease to assess its prevalence.
Fernando Miranda also assures that he is in “constant contact” with the organizations in the sector through EHE. “The Ministry has not stopped its activity in the surveillance of this disease since its discovery and has expressed its concern, although, according to the data provided by the Veterinary Services of the Autonomous Communities, the incidence is still very limited, with a morbidity below 10% and a mortality rate of less than 1%,” the press release states. It also announces that it is working on regulations at European level to make movements more flexible and that it is about to be published.
For its part, the livestock association “19 de Abril” has called on farmers to report EHE cases to veterinary authorities. “It is important,” he says in a statement, “for them to realize what a serious problem we have and what consequences it has.” He criticizes the Ministry of Agriculture and in particular the Director General Valentín Almansa for downplaying the importance of the disease, and points out that “opinions like these make us think that they don’t care about the sector or that our cows are dying.”
