Vila do Conde, Porto, Portugal, Nov. 20, 2024 (lusa) - The Minister of Agriculture, José Manuel Fernandes, said on Wednesday that the price of meat could rise in Portugal due to the outbreak of bluetongue disease, pointing out that some producers "are still suffering losses".
"We've already counted 66,000 deaths [of animals], which corresponds to around 3% of the national herd. But the damage goes far beyond these losses. It's natural for the price of meat to rise, but if it does, it's also a way for the producer to be compensated," said the minister, on the sidelines of the ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the Agros Cooperative Union, in Vila do Conde, in the district of Porto.
José Manuel Fernandes recalled that in addition to the deaths, producers have veterinary costs to treat the animals that have been infected, and although he is waiting for support from the European Union for this, he guaranteed other measures to minimise the damage.
"We've opened the market to Israel, and I hope there's enough supply to meet demand. And I also hope that demand doesn't drop, because this strain of the disease is not transmitted to people, it doesn't contaminate meat or milk. There is this security for consumers," he reiterated.
The Agriculture minister appealed to farmers "not to be afraid to report cases of animal deaths", pointing out that the state needs this data in order to "seek European support in cases where farms have suffered losses of more than 30 %".
"We've already asked for access to the [European Union] crisis reserve, even though some member states have been denied it. But it's something we're going to keep insisting on," he said.
José Manuel Fernandes also guaranteed that the government has earmarked €1 million, to be used this month or next, to support, in full payment, farmers who buy vaccines to combat the outbreak.
"I understand the pain of the producers, I visited farms to realise the scale. We acted quickly to support them and we will do everything we can to make this activity profitable," he emphasised.
The Minister of Agriculture insisted that "brutal investment is needed from European bodies, through the Horizon Europe [research] programme, so that there are effective vaccines that eliminate various strains".
"This is a European problem, which is the result of climate change, and we will be subject to more and more of these situations. We have to act quickly," he concluded.
Bluetongue is a notifiable viral disease that affects ruminants and is not transmissible to humans, but is transmitted by mosquitoes.
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