At the sitting held on 13 December, the Agriculture Committee considered the Information of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management – Veterinary Directorate on the outbreak of swine plague on the territory of the Republic of Serbia and measures implemented to suppress and eradicate it, Initiative of the Fish Farming Group at the Association for Agriculture, Food and Tobacco Industry and Water Management and the Bill on the Confirmation of the Veterinary Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

The Information of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management – Veterinary Directorate on the outbreak of swine plague on the territory of the Republic of Serbia and measures implemented to suppress and eradicate it was presented by Veterinary Administration Director Zoran Micovic and associates. He said that the outbreak happened in a location crowded with pigs where it could have been expected, and that Serbia was not the only country to experience an outbreak of the disease. Croatia, Holland and Austria had a swine plague outbreak, and the EU is combating it seriously and successfully. The reaction to the outbreak of swine plague in Serbia was timely and up to world standards and done in consultation with the experts of three Serbian institutes – in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Kraljevo. The case is closed and will not affect the swine plague eradication process in Serbia that the state opted for. The state has the power and professional staff to permanently suppress the disease, Micovic added.

Budimir Plavsic from the Veterinary Directorate shared data on the disease and information on the implemented measures and their effects. He repeated that the plague occurs in domesticated as well as wild pigs. There are two ways to eradicate it – vaccination or destruction of the diseased animals and those at risk. Serbia opted to fight the disease by vaccination. In 2002 the budget funded vaccination was abolished and in 2005 and 2006 a great many outbreak sources were noted in Serbia. The outbreaks occur in locations crowded with pigs and the farming conditions are unsatisfactory. By reinstating vaccination in 2006 the disease was eradicated. That is the result of using the K vaccine that ensures good immunity and other measures of protection such as the new system of marking pigs and farm registration. By 2007 the number of plague outbreak sources was minimal and the disease did not reappear until November this year. Serbia’s goal in the next stage is to stop the vaccination done through projects financed by the IPA funds, raising the health protection of animals and reviewing the economic effects of increased pig export. Regarding the disease outbreak in November, Plavsic said that it appeared in one farm in the Srem district, the farm was blocked, disease declared and after analysis the pigs were destroyed. For safety reasons, the disease was declared on an area covering more than 3km in the municipalities of Sremska Mitrovica and Ruma. He concluded that the disease is under control and there are no indications that it would appear in another part of Serbia.

Debating the item on the agenda, the Committee members asked whether there was any danger of the disease spreading to the Macva district; whether the 2010 vaccination was free for all subjects; if the farm where the outbreak occurred was examined for correct vaccination procedures; who first diagnosed the disease on the farm; if the Veterinary Directorate had information how the disease occurred; whether the disease was identified in wild pigs in the area; where the killed animals were taken; whether the owners of the pigs killed because of the disease or preventively would be refunded; whether the Directorate would recommend a cessation of vaccination and if not whether budget funds for it would be secured for next year; how much the suppressing of the outbreak cost and if the outbreak would affect the already issued meat export permits.

Following a long debate on the item, the Committee members concluded that they have been sufficiently briefed on the Veterinary Directorate Information and that the implemented measures had suppressed the swine plague.

In the debate on the Initiative of the Fish Farming Group at the Association for Agriculture, Food and Tobacco Industry and Water Management, the potentials as well as the problems faced by the branch were presented by the representatives of the Association for Agriculture, Food and Tobacco Industry and Water Management at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. They stressed that Serbia has the capacities to be a big fish producer in the region, particularly of carp. It currently has at its disposal 14,000ha under trout and carp rearing ponds, producing about 15,000 tons of fish (13,000 tons of carp and 2,000 tons of trout). On the current level, that covers 30% of the country’s needs so that 70% is imported. Only five years ago the production was lower by half than it is today, which is a reassuring fact. Serbia has the potential to use 100,000ha for new fish rearing ponds in Banat, which is particularly significant in view of the fact that the EU market is the biggest fish importer in the world. Serbia has the carp rearing potential considering that, besides Hungary, it is the only country to do carp selection and produce its own fish food.

The problems the sphere faces and asks the Agriculture Committee’s help with are the lack of strategy in the sphere of fish farming and laws to regulate it. They also requested that part of the 2011 agrarian budget be allocated for fish farming as it has received no stimulus of this kind so far. They also requested that water use fees be paid by hectare and in the period from November of the current year to March the following year when the sales profit is the highest.

The Committee members talked about the need to adopt a special law about fish farming, the competencies of the Ministry of Agriculture, possible new surfaces for fish rearing ponds, problems regarding the ownership of such land, quality of imported river fish, fish farming development plan and well as concrete actions which could spur the development of this agricultural branch.

Following the debate, the Committee members concluded to send a recommendation to the Ministry of Agriculture to draft a law on fish farming next year and when allocating the 2011 agrarian budget to set aside funds for the development of fish farming either via subsidies or favourable commercial bank loans and enable the payment of water use fees by hectare and it the period when the sales profit is the highest.

The Committee members went on to consider and unanimously accept the Bill on the Confirmation of the Veterinary Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The sitting was chaired by Prof. Dr Zoran Masic, Committee Chairman.