PARIS, Sept 17 (Askume) – France has stepped up surveillance for African swine fever (ASF) along parts of its border with Germany as the disease continues to spread among wild boars across much of Europe, the French agriculture ministry said on Tuesday.
Why is this important?
The increased surveillance comes amid growing concerns that the disease could start in France, which could have a devastating impact on the country’s pig industry and potentially disrupt the food supply chain.
Key Quotes
“Given the recent development of African swine fever in wild boars in Germany, the ministry has intensified surveillance for African swine fever in the Lower Rhine and Moselle provinces,” the German agriculture ministry said in a statement.
situation
The virus, which is harmless to humans but deadly to pigs, has been spreading westward across Europe in recent years, with cases also found in Belgium and Italy, near France.
The disease spread to Germany, halting the country’s vast pig industry and prompting bans from many foreign countries.
In recent years the African swine fever epidemic has also affected Asian countries, causing heavy losses to pig herds in China and Vietnam.
what will happen next
France’s agriculture ministry is studying the possibility of fencing the German border to contain the disease, a strategy it previously used to prevent the spread of African swine fever from Belgium.
Officials are also turning to local hunters to help control the wild boar population, an approach also used in nearby southeastern Italy.
Farmer groups last week called on authorities to establish a wild boar-free zone near Germany, similar to one established several years ago on the Belgian border.
