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BRČKO, July 27 (FENA) - The directors of the veterinary administration of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Serbia held a regional meeting in Brčko today where they analyzed the current epidemiological situation regarding African swine fever. The meeting was held in view of the need for a regional approach to the problem.
The Head of the BiH Veterinary Office and the organizer of today's regional meeting, Saša Bošković, said that the meeting participants agreed to send clear messages from Brčko regarding the disease, which is concentrated in the Sava River Basin and will spread further downstream, and that this problem can be overcome through joint action, cooperation and support of governments in the region.
"We need joint action because the disease knows no borders, and with the joint action of the governments of Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, we will be much stronger if we send the messages from today's meeting to the addresses of European Commission, the World Organization for the Protection of Animals and FAO, as well as to the decision-makers in our three countries. Without the support of the regional government, there is no victory over this disease, our cooperation must be institutional," said Bošković.
He said that the messages from the meeting must also be sent to the European Commission and the EU should be asked for help in repairing the damage caused by the African swine fever virus.
"We have to ask for help from the budget of the European Commission because in order to mitigate the damages, which are already large, we need help from much larger budgets than the budgets of our countries. Croatia is a member of the EU and it is much easier for them, but we, as candidate countries for EU membership, might be in the opportunity to ask for help," said Bošković.
He said that in addition to the Sava River Basin, where the disease appeared in the vicinity of Gradiška and Bijeljina, it is now being registered in Čajniče and Ribnik, where, as he said, there is no explanation as to why the disease appeared there.
Tatjana Karačić, director of the Administration for Veterinary Medicine and Food Safety of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, said that this disease is unprecedented when it comes to the economic damage it causes.
"Only with a joint regional approach can we act better and more effectively in terms of solving this disease. Yesterday, one month passed in Croatia since the first case of African swine fever infection was registered, and we can only act successfully with joint efforts," said Karačić.
She confirmed that this disease has also appeared on the Croatian side in the Sava River Basin and is still spreading in the villages of Gunja and Drenovci.
The director of the Veterinary Administration under the Government of Serbia, Miloš Petrović, said that in that country the problem of African swine fever has existed since 2019 and that during this year the disease was diagnosed in 32 municipalities in Serbia, where the greatest pressure is now on Srem and Mačva districts and that the Government of Serbia conducts a lot of activities in controlling the health condition of farms where domestic pigs are raised.
In addition to the representatives of the veterinary administrations of the three countries, the representatives of the ministries of agriculture of the RS and the FBiH were also present at the meeting.
(FENA) S. R.
