No extra measures
Schouten: 'Small chance of African swine fever'
Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) says that the chance that African swine fever will break out in the Netherlands is not great. She says this in response to parliamentary questions that Helma Lodders (VVD) asked at the beginning of January.
Lodders then suggested to the minister the question whether she was aware of the risk of infection from African swine fever in Eastern Europe. Schouten then says that she is aware of the outbreaks (which have occurred in the Baltic States since 2014), both in wild boars and in some pig farms in Romania.
However, she does not expect African swine fever to spread further over long distances in Europe. This is because there are no indications that the disease is spreading through humans.
No extra measures
Schouten says he is aware of the economic consequences if African swine fever does break out in the Netherlands. However, she sees no reason to take extra precautions on top of the European protocols. All the more because the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is already prescribing extra cleaning measures for transports returning from contaminated areas.
Schouten also sees no reason to limit the wild boar population in the Netherlands. This is because these animals are not in contact with their congeners in the infected areas. Schouten feels what a Danish proposal for more research and intensification of cooperation between European member states.
Click here for Schouten's answers.
Wouter Job
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