A crisis meeting is to be held in Germany in February on how to tackle the African swine fever† The meeting will focus on measures to limit the spread of swine fever, which until now has mainly been present in Eastern Europe. TopAgrar reports this on Monday 15 January.
The German Farmers' Union wants a big hunt for wild boars. The union claims that 70% of wild boars must be killed. Even the appearance of African swine fever in wild boars is limiting exports. This leads to a collapse of the market, which threatens the incomes of the pig farmers. In addition, the association wants a suspension of rest periods and other restrictions on the hunting of wild animals.
Earlier crisis summit
There was already a crisis summit in Schleswig-Holstein on Friday 12 January. The result: more staff in the state lab, stricter hygiene regulations and more opportunities in boar hunting.
Lower Saxony's agriculture minister has announced that he will provide €3,5 million to hunt the country's wild herds harder. The question is who should shoot the pigs. It takes a hunter about 20 hours to kill a wild boar. The effort is much higher than with other animals, such as deer.
Resist shooting
The Environment Minister has opposed a higher shooting rate for wild boars. A 70% shooting rate cannot be quantified, because it was not known how many boars live in Germany. Another point of criticism was that the boar is not the main causative agent, but that it should be sought in travelers and professional drivers who introduce the pathogens by taking food home.
According to Uli Klüßendorf, head of Forstamt Sondershausen, the hunt cannot stop the arrival of African swine fever. "It's not a question of if it will come, but when." Meanwhile, swine fever has already been observed in wild boars in Eastern Europe, near the German border.
© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.
