October 31, 2019

More ASF-infected wild boar discovered in Belgium

Management measures have already been put in place since the start of October, including a ban on entering the Gaume forest southeast of Belgium, reported The Brussels Times.

Remains of the African swine fever (ASF)-infected wild boars, found in Arlon in the Walloon region, have been transported for analysis to the Walloon Ministry of Environment, Nature, Rural Renovation and Animal Welfare.

Nathalie Guilmin, spokeswoman for the ministry, said ASF can only be considered to be eradicated if no new cases were discovered in the last one year. The last discovered ASF-infected swine was found in Saint-Léger on August 11, 2019.

The ministry will not implement any new changes and the sealed zone will remain.

This is following The Times UK report on tens of thousands wild boar to be culled in the Wallonia region over fears of a ASF outbreak.

Local farmers in the region have demanded to cull the wild boars as they pose a significant threat to local swine livestock. Population of wild boar in Wallonia is expected to reduce by 80%.

Willy Borsus, Vice-President of Walloon and Walloon Minister of Economy, Foreign Trade, Spatial Planning and Agriculture wants to identify the number of wild boars in the region and implement cull quotas on local hunting associations.

More than 35,000 wild boars have been culled in the region between July 2018 and February 2019.

-    The Brussels Times, The Times UK