3CatInfo reports that access to the Serra de Collserola natural park will remain prohibited for at least three more months due to the outbreak of African swine fever. The initial forecast was to lift the restrictions at the end of September, but the Departament d’Agricultura has decided to extend them because wild boars are still being detected in the affected area.
The councillor Òscar Ordeig explains that there are still about 200 wild boars left in the zero zone and that the goal is to complete the sanitary clearing of the area. Since the start of the outbreak, 11,775 wild boars have been captured, of which 384 tested positive. Ordeig says the decision responds to health safety and the need to prevent the virus from spreading.
The impact of the restrictions remains widespread in the Barcelona area. According to the Consorci del Parc Natural de la Serra de Collserola, visits have fallen by 80% since the outbreak began. The park’s managing director, Raimon Roda, says the presence of agents will be reinforced to inform the public and that work is already under way to transfer the suspended educational activities to schools.
There are also complaints from the affected municipalities. The mayor of Sant Cugat del Vallès, Josep Maria Vallès, criticizes the fact that the population has gone almost 10 months without being able to access the natural environment and calls for solutions, such as opening defined areas or some urban parks not connected with Collserola. In addition, the Govern has announced aid for affected restaurants, as well as support and subsidized financing for slaughterhouses and farms affected by the disease.
Source: 3CatInfo