June 2, 2020

Scotland prepares for ASF outbreak amid pandemic

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scottish government wants to make sure concerns over all other diseases are not put on the back burner. Recently it coordinated an industry-wide meeting that particularly tackled a possible outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) during this unprecedented human health crisis, The Press and Journal reported.

Andy McGowan, chief executive of Scottish Pig Producers, who took part in the meeting, said contingency plans, in the light of social distancing and other movement restrictions, need to be tweaked.

"ASF is one of the top priority animal diseases and is the highest risk to the pig sector, so we all understand our roles in the event of the disease being found here, and key players would swing into action quickly", he said.

"This week involved just adjusting some of the plans to ensure they would still operate effectively", he added in the report published last Saturday, May 30.

He said the lockdown had not reduced the risk of the UK herd being infected, most likely by infected food from people walking past a herd, as more people have been exercising in the countryside.

China's decimation of pig herd due to ASF, meanwhile, continues to benefit pig prices in Scotland, as exports to that country offset the loss of the food-services market during the lockdown, McGowan said.