Swine fever in wild boars worries Italy’s pork industry

ROME (AP) — The discovery of African swine fever in northern Italy has pork producers fearing significant damages to a major agricultural export, and is also cutting short truffle hunting. Earlier this month, a case of the virus, which can be deadly to pigs but doesn’t harm humans, was discovered in a wild boar in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy. Wild boars, whose meat is used in pasta sauces, are a popular prey of hunters. Italy’s health and agricultural ministers have banned hunting for the time being in parts of Liguria and Piedmont to try to prevent the spread of the virus. An Italian farm lobby says import bans by China, Japan and other countries after the discovery of the virus are already hurting Italy’s pork industry.