Swine Fever Outbreak Threatens to Devastate Italy's $22B Pork Industry and Exports

Since 2022, over 120,000 pigs have been slaughtered in Italy to contain the swine fever outbreak.

By Thea Felicity

Oct 02 2024, 10:54 AM EDT

ITALY-TRADITION-HAM-PARMA-GASTRONOMY — A picture shows Italian hams (prosciutto crudo di Parma) stored on March 6, 2015 at the "Eli Prosciutti" plant in Parma. GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

The African swine fever is taking a toll on pig farms in Italy, possibly devastating its pork industry and exports.

In a report by AP News, a pig farmer in Italy shared that one of his pigs tested positive for swine fever in August, which made him slaughter all 6,200 pigs to prevent it from spreading. Today, over 120,000 pigs have been killed since the disease outbreak in 2022.

Last month, 24 more new outbreaks were reported in Lombardy. However, it has already spread in parts of Emilia Romagna and Piedmont. These are 4,500 square meters where most Parma prosciutto is produced for local and international delivery.

African Swine Fever's Impact on Italy's Pork Industry

So far, the African swine fever has caused over $500 million in losses to Italy's pork industry. This is also an impact of import bans and restrictions due to the outbreak. More than the $22 billion pork industry, the livelihoods of several farmers are also affected, who are responsible for providing 10 million pigs.

Besides losing hundreds of millions in its local pork sector, the country also experienced a $22 million loss a month in exports after 12 countries banned the imports of pork products like prosciutto in their country. The US, Canada, and others continued the imports but only from unaffected areas in Italy.

With limited prosciutto production, there are also fewer fresh pork legs available, which caused a spike in the price of raw materials.

Italian authorities warn that another series of outbreaks will endanger the pork industry, animal health, and job losses.

To respond, the government appointed an experienced veterinarian, Giovanni Filippini, to lead their efforts.

According to Euronews, Filippini had already calmed the disease in Sardinia and had been focusing on strict farm access and animal transfer policies to prevent further spread. Filippini's efforts worked, as only one new outbreak was recorded in late September. However, while progress has been made, the government will maintain high sanitation standards for animal health and outbreak prevention.