Tierseuche - African Swine Fever: Several Kilometers Fence Stand
The construction of the electric fence for controlling African Swine Fever is progressing. By Thursday, 6.4 kilometers of the fence had already been installed east of the Bundesstraße 9, near Oppenheim, according to the Rhineland-Palatinate Environmental Ministry. On Friday, it is expected to be completed up to Guntersblum.
Furthermore, the Eich-Gimbsheim-Altrheingebiet and the fencing along the railway track from Guntersblum towards Osthofen are planned. These sections are predicted to be completed by the end of next week. The fence aims to prevent infected wild boars from leaving a defined zone or other animals from entering.
Kristenstaff at the Federal Level
Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food called for the "Central Crisis Staff Animal Diseases" on Thursday, as announced. There, measures of overregional and political significance are being discussed and, if necessary, a uniform federal response is being decided. "We are closely monitoring the spread of African Swine Fever", stated Secretary of State Silvia Bender according to the announcement. Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate are doing excellent work in containing the disease.
The Federal Government is supporting the federal states together with the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, for example, in epidemiological investigations or the coordination of measures. "Stopping the spread is a mammoth task and important for our pig-raising farms", Bender said accordingly. Citizens are called upon to pay attention. "We will also start a new information campaign again, to sensitize people – for example, at motorway rest stops, especially during the summer travel season."
Good News regarding Radiocesium Contamination - Investigation Areas Discontinued
However, there is good news regarding the Radiocesium contamination of animals: The meat of wild boars from all Rhineland-Palatinate regions can be consumed without concern. This was announced by the State Laboratory after a comprehensive evaluation. Thirty-eight years after the Chernobyl reactor accident in Ukraine, the formally designated investigation areas could therefore be formally discontinued.
So far, according to the agency, every wild boar hunted in the two designated investigation areas in the Palatinate Forest and the Hunsrück had to be tested for Radiocesium. There will be investigations in the future, but without state regulation and without formally designated investigation areas.
The official food control continues to control wild boar meat randomly and risk-oriented, it was stated. "In the last 10 years, the official food control in Rhineland-Palatinate has examined 739 samples of wild boar meat – in no single sample was an overlimit for the parameter Radiocesium detected."
- The African Swine Fever outbreak in Mainz, a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, is being closely monitored by local authorities.
- The progress of the electric fence construction to control African Swine Fever extends to areas near Oppenheim and Guntersblum in Rhineland-Palatinate.
- The Rhineland-Palatinate Environmental Ministry has confirmed that sections of the electric fence along the railway track towards Osthofen are also part of the containment strategy.
- The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMU) has convened the "Central Crisis Staff Animal Diseases" to discuss and decide on measures to combat African Swine Fever at a national level.
- The BMU, in collaboration with the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, is supporting the affected states in conducting epidemiological investigations and coordinating containment measures.
- Despite the ongoing African Swine Fever situation, the BMU has called for a new information campaign to sensitize the public, especially at motorway rest stops during summer travel.
- In a positive development, the state laboratory in Rhineland-Palatinate has announced that wild boar meat can be consumed without concern from all regions, following the discontinuation of investigation areas due to low Radiocesium contamination levels.
