The topic of developing a coherent strategy for maintaining and developing pig production in the country is as old as the world. Individual postulates have been put forward by the industry for years. Breeders counted not so much on direct financial support for investments, but primarily on actions that would allow them to freely plan and develop their production. For years, there has been talk of the ineffective fight against ASF, or that it takes years to obtain a building permit or to expand a farm. Initially, industry organizations, acting alone, and later together, began to bombard the Ministry of Agriculture with proposals for changes and ideas for healing the sector. Unfortunately, as is often the case in our country, everything came to nothing.
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The United Right government was not interested in healing the sector at first, and only became interested in the strategy itself a few months before the elections, when it was already clear that the work would not be completed before the end of the term. The rotations on the political stage initially raised the hopes of breeders, but it quickly turned out that the new government had put a cross on the strategy. As we wrote on farmer.pl, at the beginning of August the ministry announced that work on creating a development strategy for the industry had been suspended. In return, a number of support mechanisms were provided that breeders can use. However, the industry agrees that such mechanisms should be treated as pulling the wool over people's eyes. For example, the fight against ASF is to be limited mainly to supporting investments in biosecurity and educating breeders…
Of course, the importance of both education and biosecurity cannot be overestimated, but for farmers who currently operate in the immediate environment of ASF, the support offered will help like incense to the dead. Here, first of all, it is necessary to compensate for the losses that farmers from the zones suffer in connection with the sale of pigs at reduced prices. And in the matter of such support, silence has reigned for a long time.
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The decision to suspend work on the strategy is being called a slap in the face by some breeders. Over the years, the agricultural community has been working out specific solutions that were served to the government on a plate. Of course, this does not mean that every such solution should be accepted uncritically, but it would be appropriate to at least express interest in working out a compromise. Unfortunately, this is not what happened. In an act of desperation, breeders even expressed their willingness to develop a ready-made strategy on their own, but does such action make any sense at all if no one will want to use it?
And things are getting worse in the country. Over the past month, ASF has attacked the previously ASF-free Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, and is also rampant in central Wielkopolska. We are in constant contact with local breeders; they tell us directly that they no longer dream of anything other than getting rid of their animals and ending their pig farming adventure once and for all.
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The tragedy of pig farmers in the Gniezno district continues. "Nobody is counting losses anymore"
