AVP strikes at German fattening pig farm

African swine fever (ASF) was detected at a large fattening pig farm in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. This means that the animal disease has penetrated to the core of the pig sector in Germany. All animals have since been culled.

The company is located in the Rohstock region, has 4.000 fattening pigs and is labeled as a modern company. The situation came to light after several animals died. The suspicion that this was ASF was confirmed by test results.

Minister gives press conference
It is not yet clear what the consequences of the infection are. Till Backhaus, The Minister of Agriculture in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will hold a press conference later today. ASF first struck in Germany last September, but so far the virus has only been detected in wild boars. As a result, Germany lost a lot of export destinations to the Asian markets, whose main sales markets such as China and Japan are still closed. In addition, pig prices are already at a level where it cannot be much lower.

The outbreak is bad news for the Dutch pig sector. This is because there is close contact with many German pig farms and slaughterhouses. When ASF spreads to our country, this will have major consequences. This is because the export bans do not apply here. The outbreak in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern can therefore be seen as a wake up call.

Wouter Job

Wouter Baan is editor-in-chief of Boerenbusiness. He also focuses on dairy, pig and meat markets. He also follows (business) developments within agribusiness and interviews CEOs and policymakers.

w.baan@boerenbusiness. Nl

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