German AVP hotspot possibly false alarm

A high concentration of African swine fever (ASF) infections was reported last week on the German Oder Island near Küstrin-Kiets. This message now appears to be a false alarm.

Due to the deployment of drones, several dead boars were discovered on the island in the Oder River last week. It was expected that the live wild boars in the detected group were also infected with ASF. This message now appears to be a false alarm. New images only show live animals, so the earlier statement about dead animals does not seem correct. The original recordings have been re-evaluated with the suspicion that the animals were asleep.

Danger not gone
It is not clear whether the wild boars are actually free of ASF. The danger has therefore not completely disappeared, but the situation appears to be less critical than had been estimated. For the time being, however, there is no hunting of wild boars to prevent the animals from being startled and spreading further. To ensure that the wild boars stay in the area, maize has been deposited and a double electric fence has been placed near the coast.

Permanent fencing
In the meantime, the number of confirmed infections has continued to rise. The Friedrich Loeffler Institut (FLI) has now confirmed the seventieth ASF infection among wild boars. Pig farming is still free from the deadly virus. 

The German agriculture minister announced last week that he would resume talks with Poland about the construction of a permanent fence. A few months ago, negotiations took place between the two countries about the barriers to wild boars. At the time, Germany already wanted to pay for the costs of the 2 fences in full, but Poland rejected the project. 

Chanti Oussoren

Editor at Boerenbusiness who studies the dairy, pig (meat) and feed markets.

c.oussoren@boerenbusiness. Nl

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