News African swine fever
Suspects of spreading AVP detained for longer
In Belgium, 6 people were arrested on Wednesday 5 February, because they are suspected of spreading African swine fever to Belgium. Now it has become known that 2 out of 5 suspects remain in prison longer.
According to various Belgian media, 1 of those 2 suspects must even remain in pre-trial detention for at least 1 month. His case will be at the end of the month before the judge come. The other person (a landowner from the Étalle region) also has to be patient for the time being, because his case has been postponed.
The latter is mainly due to a technical problem. The suspects usually have the right to inspect their file for 1 day. However, due to the computers not working properly, this person was given only 15 minutes. His case will therefore not be heard until next week and the suspect must in any case remain in custody until then.
Import of infected boars
The pair are suspected of involvement in the import of various infected wild boars from Eastern Europe. This is probably the cause of the outbreak of African swine fever in Belgium. More than 450 animals have now been infected with the animal disease. To control the situation, wild boars in this area are being shot in a controlled manner. This means that the grade must meet several guidelines.
It is striking that from an investigation according to the union for the protection of birds, 74% of Belgians are against hunting wild animals. This is regretted by the hunters' association. "Nature is in danger due to the further spread of African swine fever," says Benoît Petit, president of a Belgian hunting association. He thus implies that the hunt must continue to prevent further spread of the virus.
Tim Roetman
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