Figures are rising, criticism of German approach AVP

Local municipal officials, as well as farmers and hunters, regularly pass on their ideas and findings to regional and national officials, but they feel that nothing is done with them. Bernd Lange, the chief executive of the Landkreis Görlitz region, stated this to local media.

Proposal rejected with 'EU' argument
As an example, Lange mentions the refused introduction of 'white zones' proposed by local administrators and hunters. These are areas in which the wild boar population is reduced to 0. However, this proposal was rejected on the grounds that it conflicts with European rules: "It is as if we are biting into granite as local fighters," says Lange. He also believes that the compensation for shot boars is too low and there is little financial compensation for the purchase of the necessary material.

Due to the lack of cooperation, many hunters have now turned away from the government's working method. They no longer want to kill wild boars 'to order'. Lange indicates that hunters feel like 'hitmen', where they have to shoot to order while in the meantime nothing is done with their advice. Partly because of this, the culling of pigs is at a low level. Nevertheless, Lange hopes that the parties can again arrive at a joint approach, because this is very important in the fight against AVP.

Criticism is also increasing about the many kilometers of fencing in nature reserves. Pigs would regularly break through fencing and know exactly where to find the holes. Young deer appear to die in large numbers because they become entangled in the fencing or injured.

The number of AVP cases is increasing
Meanwhile, the number of reported cases of ASF in Germany continues to rise. In the first week of July, 40 new infections in wild boars were confirmed, according to the overview of the Friedrich-Loeffler-Instutut. A record number of infected pigs were already found in June.