Inside African Swine Fever
African swine fever looks like a return in Germany
Fewer wild boars were found in Germany last week that were infected with African swine fever (ASF). In the week of 11 to 18 May, the virus was detected in 26 boars.
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This is evident from data from the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI). The number of pigs infected with ASF has been declining for several weeks now. For months, the number of confirmed infections fluctuated between 40 and 50 per week, well above the numbers in recent weeks. In addition, no new cases have been identified outside the already sealed off zones for some time now.
The developments undoubtedly make the German pig sector cautiously optimistic. The German government is still negotiating with trading partner China to resume exports to the Far East. It is hoped that a so-called regionalization agreement will soon be reached, under which Germany will be allowed to supply pork from areas where ASF has not been detected in wild boars. Signs that the viral disease appears to be under control could increase the chance of success in negotiations.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is acting proactively
The northern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (where no ASF has yet been detected in wild boars) will provide further support to hunters to reduce the number of wild boars in the state. The state government announced this on Friday, May 14. The province's minister of agriculture considers it very important to reduce the wild boar population.
The government is trying to prevent ASF from entering the province. There was therefore already a culling premium of €50 per animal in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. There is now a financing scheme that allows hunters to invest in cooling systems. This allows them to better store shot animals.