In the summer series of Boerenbusiness this week former Member of Parliament and veterinarian Henk Jan Ormel. He has been working in Rome for the World Food and Agriculture Organization FAO since 2012, dealing with animal diseases.
Hailstones like tennis balls and heat records that are lost in droves. Veterinary advisor at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Henk Jan Ormel in Italy is experiencing like no other that the earth is warming. This increases the risk of outbreaks of animal diseases, which can also affect humans. Global warming increases the risk of spreading animal diseases. What can be done about that?
You live and work in Rome for the FAO. What are you mainly involved in?
"The FAO is doing everything it can to promote climate-resilient agriculture and livestock farming, to achieve food security for a growing world population and to prevent panic. In the short term and in the long term. My job is to reduce the risk of spreading animal diseases through global warming. to visualize the earth as accurately as possible and also to successfully combat the advancing animal diseases. The greatest possible biosecurity is the basis."
What does climate change mean for the development of animal diseases?
"Closed operations that reduce the risk of contamination by livestock and people to a minimum. That is what it all starts with. But that is not a solution for the spread of diseases through the air or by insects. The tiger mosquito is unfortunately already commonplace in Italy. That is why The development of vaccines receives a lot of attention, for example, in this way the advance of the Lumpy Skin Disease (smallpox virus in cattle in particular) has been halted, especially now that large-scale vaccination is taking place in the Balkans."
"Tourism is one of the largest spreaders of disease. At the moment, the spread of the zoonosis Rift Valley Fever is the greatest source of concern. This disease mainly affects small ruminants, but also cattle and can, via mosquitoes , making people sick. In Niger, this disease has caused dozens of human victims. Rift Valley Fever is advancing via the Sahel to North Africa and Southern Europe. Action in North Africa is urgently needed. Avian flu, which is rapidly mutating and the disease PPR small ruminants also require some effort to control. Foot-and-mouth disease also remains a major risk. And African swine fever has already invaded Europe."
In your political life as a member of parliament for the CDA you had to deal with the Q fever. This disease is still mentioned in the Netherlands as a potential threat, which is increasing due to the rising temperature. What is your estimate?
"The Q fever outbreak was a result of extremely concentrated and large-scale intensive goat farming. In areas with a lower stocking density, the risk of a large-scale Q fever outbreak is smaller. This applies to animal diseases in general. As urbanization increases and space becomes available, As the countryside becomes smaller, the risks of animal disease outbreaks increase. The high livestock density in the Netherlands is only possible if you set high safety standards. However, we should not be fooled in the Netherlands that we are not handling it properly. None country in the world, where very high-quality food is produced safely per hectare per hectare. recognition. Only in the Netherlands does a different picture prevail. If you are skewed in that extremely negativebelieve the image, you also act on it. A smaller and less efficient agricultural sector in the Netherlands has a negative impact on climate change on a global scale."
You emphasize the great importance of biosecurity. But due to the reduction in the dairy herd and the associated regulations, the number of livestock transports is increasing sharply. What do you think of that?
"Unfortunately, that is true. Strict requirements are imposed on livestock transport. The sector is very professional and there are strict controls. Biosafety does depend on the weakest link, even if you are doing so well as a sector. That is now also apparent again with the fipronil affair in poultry farming."
African swine fever is not related to climate change. It is currently the biggest threat in Europe. Is there enough resistance?
"African Swine Fever is even more aggressive than classical swine fever. Moreover, it is not only advancing in wild boar populations from Eastern to Central Europe, but also in commercial pig farming. Estonia is a modern EU country that is doing well. Yet the virus has struck there, because there has been a biosecurity misstep somewhere, and to think that there is still no solution to the consequences of vaccination with marker vaccines in outbreaks of animal diseases, such as bird flu, swine fever and foot and mouth disease. Mass culling in outbreaks will be inevitable, as is happening now in poultry farming. That is why I entered politics at the time. Marker vaccines allow you to distinguish between infected and vaccinated animals. International trade rules are still insufficiently adapted the possibilities that marker vaccines offer, but in my current position at the FAO I cannot influencetrade policy."
You live and work in Rome. How bad is the heat there?
"The heat isn't the worst. You get used to it, over time. The drought, which results from the heat, takes really extreme forms. There is a lot of political scheming about the rationing of drinking water. food prices. If this situation continues for a few more weeks, there will be a major crisis. In Spain, it is even worse, where desertification strikes."
© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.