The general secretary of the PSOE of Extremadura, Álvaro Sánchez Cotrina, has urged the Junta of Extremadura to act "with foresight" in light of the detection of new outbreaks of African swine fever in various areas of the country, including Catalonia.
The top leader of the extremeño socialists attended this Sunday the XXXV Fair of Hunting, Fishing, and Iberian Nature (Feciex), which is taking place these days in Badajoz. There he referred to this disease and emphasized that his party already registered a proposal last July for the implementation of a Comprehensive Prevention Plan.
As the socialist leader explained, to date the Junta has not responded to this initiative, and he stressed that the hunting sector "must form" an essential part of the preventive strategy.
In a press release, the PSOE of Extremadura detailed that the plan includes, among other actions, the reduction of the density of wild boars in the natural environment, the implementation of training programs for hunters, ranchers, veterinarians, and transporters, the creation of a Regional Swine Fever Table with the presence of the hunting sector, as well as the strengthening of coordination with other autonomous communities and with Portugal.
Sánchez Cotrina reiterated that the PSOE "wants to count" on hunters, as their direct knowledge of the terrain and their activity can become a "fundamental tool" to stop and combat the spread of African swine fever.
Support from the PSOE for social hunting and local societies
During his tour of Feciex, Sánchez Cotrina emphasized that his party supports hunting and fishing from a social perspective, with the aim that anyone who wishes to practice hunting "can do so," and highlighted the initiatives being promoted by the two provincial councils, governed by the PSOE, in favor of the hunting societies of the extremeño municipalities.
In this regard, the Socialist Party has reminded that the councils of Badajoz and Cáceres have launched respective calls for aid for social hunting grounds, endowed with 600,000 euros for each province, through which each local hunting society can access subsidies of up to 8,000 euros.
According to the information provided by the PSOE, these aids are intended for actions aimed at the recovery of small game species, such as the placement of feeders and drinkers, clearing work, the implementation of non-productive crops, or specific programs for the recovery of the wild rabbit.
The general secretary of the PSOE of Extremadura has highlighted that these lines of support arise from the active listening of the demands of the Extremeña Federation of Hunting (Fedexcaza) and constitute "a support" for the hunting societies of the towns, which play "a fundamental role" in the management and conservation of the territory.
Finally, Sánchez Cotrina has insisted that the socialists believe that hunters are "essential" for the maintenance of the rural environment and ecosystems, and has defended social hunting as an activity closely linked to the territory and the daily life of the towns in the region.