EU country sends troops hunting wild boar amid £7bn sausage industry fears

In a bid to safeguard its lucrative £7bn sausage industry from the threat of swine fever, Italy has announced a bold initiative: sending troops across the country on a year-long mission to hunt wild boar.

The decision, spearheaded by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, aims to curb Italy's wild boar population by as much as 80 percent over the next five years. This move comes as a preventive measure to halt the spread of African swine fever, a highly contagious virus that has recently plagued the Italian mainland.

With an estimated 1 million to 1.5 million wild boars roaming Italy, the animals have long been considered a public nuisance, causing havoc in urban areas and wreaking havoc on farmland. Moreover, they have emerged as carriers of African swine fever, posing a significant threat to Italy's renowned prosciutto and sausage industry, centred in cities like Parma.

Italy's Agriculture Minister, Francesco Lollobrigida, highlighted the broader implications, stating: "Swine fever threatens production chains, not only pig farms, and raises the spectre of thousands and thousands of pigs being slaughtered."

The military deployment, comprising 177 soldiers, was green-lit by the cabinet as part of a comprehensive strategy to safeguard Italian agriculture and culinary heritage. This initiative also includes measures to address other agricultural threats, such as the invasion of non-native blue crabs jeopardising the clam industry.

Davide Calderone, director of Assica, an association of meat and cured products manufacturers, welcomed the military's involvement, emphasising the urgency of containing the wild boar population. "There is a big problem here that puts a big supply chain at risk, and it's right to use all means to contain and eradicate it," Calderone said.

However, not everyone is in agreement with the militarised approach. Legambiente, a prominent environmental organisation, criticised the move, labelling it a misguided "populist approach" to a complex problem.

Stefano Raimondi, the group's director of biodiversity, expressed concerns about the potential social repercussions.

He said: "The only consequence will be to create a sense of insecurity and war in the city."

While wild boars were nearly extinct in Italy by the late 19th century, their reintroduction in the 1950s has led to a population surge, exacerbated by stricter hunting regulations.

Despite swine fever not directly affecting humans, its impact on Italy's pork industry, employing nearly 50,000 people, has been substantial. Concerns about the virus have prompted several countries to restrict Italian pork imports, with Canada being the latest addition to the list.

Italy's proactive stance mirrors similar efforts by other European nations, such as France, which deployed soldiers to its border with Belgium in 2019 to prevent infected wild boars from entering its territory.