It has only been since the outbreaks of African swine fever that serious work has been done on identification and registration throughout vast Poland. The potential consequences of the dreaded disease have forced the Polish government and industry to maintain. That is the conclusion of MS Schippers, that the sale of ear tags to Polish pig farmers is increasing significantly.
Also the many countless farms with a handful of sows now have to eartag all their pigs, so that it can be found out whether and how the swine fever may have spread if an outbreak is identified. This has happened 2014 times on pig farms since the first outbreak in Poland in 23. In total, including wild boars, swine fever was found 202 times. The last time this month. So far, the region where the outbreaks are taking place has been limited to a relatively small area, just before the border with Ukraine. In 2014, the African Swine Fever crossed the Polish border with Ukraine and Belarus for the first time. African Swine Fever is more widespread in those countries, as well as in the eastern regions of the Baltic States.
Since the first outbreak in 2014, the dreaded disease has not gone away in the Lublin region on the border with Ukraine. Poland held a conference last October with veterinary leaders (CVOs) from 11 different concerned countries on both sides of the European Union's eastern border to stem the spread and contain the disease. The scenarios that are all too well known in the Netherlands are now also applied along the Polish eastern border. In the event of an outbreak, all contact companies will be blocked. This is only possible if a comprehensive I&R system is in place.
The threat of African Swine Fever is hampering the development of Polish pig farming and trade, even though the number of outbreaks has so far been limited to 23 farms along the eastern border with Ukraine. That there is also fear in the Netherlands is apparent from the measure that ZLTO took in the late summer of last year. They warned Polish staff on pig farms to strictly observe hygiene rules.
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