Agriculture Minister Remes: Smithfield will not receive compensations for culled hogs

The Romanian Agriculture Ministry will not award any compensations to Smithfield company for the hogs culled in the company’s farms where swine fever has been detected if the company is proved to have failed to observe all the animal health regulations in force, Romanian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Decebal Traian Remes told ROMPRES on Wednesday.

‘The company has been fined many system for infringements of the requested conditions, and yet it expanded its business in places unfit for hog breeding, which I believe it is a serous thing,’ said Remes.

The farms of the Smithfield are said to have been operational without proper animal health authorizations. Remes said that from what he knows the authorizations were not mandatory, provided that the farms were registered.

‘When registering its farm with the local offices of the National Animal Health and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA), an economic operator automatically assumes obligations to observe the bio-security, hygiene, breeding, animal wellness, fodder regulations, etc., virtually al the relevant regulations in force in the European Union member states,’ said Remes.

He added that he is waiting for a clear report from ANSVSA on the situation at the Smithfield farms in Romania, after which he will take the necessary measures. The minister does not rule out penalising his subordinates and the coordination staff, that is the staff of agricultural directorates and animal health offices, if the report mentions the staff concerned have failed to carry out their duties.

The Timis Animal Health Directorate on Saturday confirmed the existence of a classical swine fever breakout at a farm located in the village of Cernei belonging to the Smithfield company; a second breakout was confirmed on Tuesday in the village of Iglis.

There are over 37,000 hogs to be culled in the immediate future because of the disease.

Smithfield Foods is the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer. It started its Romanian business in 2004 by taking over the Romania’s former largest such company Comtim of Timisaora. It owns 33 hog breeding farms in Romania, 25 in the western county of Timis, 7 in the western county of Arad and one in the western county of Bihor, with a total hog stock standing at 486,000. ROMPRES