According to America Economia, Moises Vargas Teran, Livestock Development Officer of FAO, said pigs are very important for both large and small producers of the Andean countries, since pork is a key source of animal protein and a vital economic resource for the livestock sector.

The governments of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, through the Andean Community (CAN), and Venezuela requested the FAO for technical assistance to ensure an Andean sub-regional strategy for control and eradication of the disease.

In response to the request of the countries, FAO has launched the project "Strengthening Sub-regional Control of CSF in the Andean Countries," which will be implemented in collaboration with the CAN.

Classical Swine Fever (CSF) endemic in the Andean countries affects domestic pigs, feral pigs and wild boar. It is highly contagious, with high morbidity and mortality rates.

It is therefore considered by FAO and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as a priority in the Americas, since it is the third largest producer of pork.

The PPC is not only a risk to livestock development, due to the severe restrictions on domestic and international trade that occurs, but also significantly affects food security and development of family farms.

19 countries in the region, together with FAO, launched the Continental Plan for the Eradication of CSF in the Americas, which seeks to achieve elimination by 2020, which has already been successful.

In 2011, Colombia in 2011 achieved its third zone previously declared free of CSF, reaching a land area of ??48 per cent, which accounts for 7 per cent of the country's pig population, the result of a successful strategic alliance between organized pig farmers the country, IICA and government authorities. For its part, Peru began a successful vaccination program, which is progressing in its coverage.

The heads of veterinary services and representatives of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela met with members of the organized sector of national pork producers and the Ibero-American Pork (OIPORC) and FAO specialists in Bogota, Colombia, to set the plan into action.

The FAO project also aims to study the socio-economic impacts of the CFP in the sub-region and its effects on food security, and seek to strengthen national veterinary diagnostic laboratories, among others.

Further Reading Find out more information on classical swine fever by clicking here.