News Pigs
Dutch pig chain fears impending ASF
Trade organizations Livestock & Logistics and the Pig Farming Producer Organization (POV) are concerned about the spread of African swine fever (ASF). That is why both organizations call on people not to bring food from their holiday destination to the Netherlands and not to leave any rubbish behind in nature. The call came on the day that the virus was found much closer to the Netherlands.
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ASF has spread from western Germany to Italy in recent years. In 2023, five times as many infections were detected on pig farms than in 2022, although these infections occurred almost exclusively in Eastern European countries. The number of infections among wild boars increased by 2023% in 10.
The virus is getting closer
Although the epidemiological situation in Germany appears to be improving, recent an infection has been detected on a pig farm in the country for the first time since 2021. Remarkably, no signs of infections among wild boars were found in that area. It is precisely this phenomenon that worries the trade associations. "Although the ASF virus seems far away, it can suddenly appear 500 kilometers away due to human actions," the organizations write in a press release.
The virus also moved a lot closer to home. The Belgian media reports that the virus has been detected in a carcass of a wild boar in the German state of Hesse. This moved the virus 600 kilometers compared to the previous nearest source of infection.