December 10, 2019

Germany on alert after African swine fever discovered at border

Julia Kloeckner, Agriculture Minister said the country is warning people not to dispose waste food at border areas though leaflets, posters and social media in various languages, reported Reuters.

This follows the discovery of an African swine fever (ASF) infected wild boar in Poland, 40 kilometres from the border to Germany. Bulgaria and Romania are two of the worst hit European Union countries out of 10 currently affected by ASF.

While wild boar meat can spread the disease, ASF can also be transmitted via disposed contaminated pork foodstuff, that swine farmers reuse to feed their livestock.

Kloeckner said the country's information campaign is aimed at tourists, truck drivers, farmers, hunters, harvest assistants and the army, adding that humans are a major factor in the spread of the ASF, especially from not disposing food waste correctly.

She said the government is ready to prohibit movement in affected ASF areas should a positive case be discovered, in addition to relaxing restrictions on hunting to cull the wild boar population.

She urged other federal and regional authorities in Germany to back anti-ASF enforcement as it could greatly impact the country's economy.

Germany's pork imports to China and other countries in Asia could be restricted should ASF be discovered in the country. According to market research consultancy AMI, Germany's swine exports to China increased 43% year-on-year between January to July 2019, or 291,000 tonnes due to the ASF outbreak in China dwindling swine supplies.

-  Reuters