Animalsquake - Barrier against African Swine Fever - Fence is being built
In Oppenheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, the construction of a kilometer-long electro-fence for containing the African Swine Fever has begun. An initial section from Oppenheim to Guntersblum in the affected district of Mainz-Bingen is being built, with plans for an expansion. The fence aims to prevent infected wild boars from leaving a defined zone or other animals from entering.
"Our goal is to keep the infected area as small as possible," said Rhineland-Palatinate's Environment Minister Katrin Eder (Greens) in Oppenheim. Animal suffering, financial damages in agriculture, and restrictions for citizens should be kept to a minimum.
First fence section along the federal highway
So far, there have been five confirmed cases of African Swine Fever in wild boars in Rhineland-Palatinate, in the districts of Mainz-Bingen and Alzey-Worms. Farm pigs, unlike in Hesse, have not been affected. In the infected area, there are around 600 farm pigs, significantly fewer than in the affected area in Southern Hesse.
The first section of the fence will run east of the nearby federal highway B9, so streets do not need to be closed. Subsequently, the fence will continue along a railway track to Osthofen in the Alzey-Worms district, with the potential for extension even to Worms. Additionally, plans include fencing off the Eich-Gimbsheimer Altrheingebiet, a nature protection area. In total, over 40 kilometers of the approximately 80 centimeter high electro-fence will be built.
19,000 hectares searched with drones and tracking dogs
Before the start of the first section's construction, a roughly 19,000-hectare area was searched using drones and tracking dogs, and these searches will continue.
The drones with thermal imaging cameras fly mainly at night, as the temperature difference between the surroundings and a warm animal body is more distinguishable then. Dying animals tend to retreat into bushes and can therefore be harder to detect by drones, so tracking dogs are also in use, explained the ministry.
The land bought the fence in 2020
One of them is the Australian Shepherd dog Pebbles, owned by Petra Nitschke. She and other teams are out two to three times a week, for example, in the Oppenheimer Waldchen, to detect and recover carcasses, as Nitschke says. Breeds suitable for this task are primarily those with a low hunting instinct.
The land Rhineland-Palatinate bought a total of 90 kilometers of mobile electro-fence and a 40-kilometer long permanent wildlife fence in 2020. At that time, African Swine Fever was detected in Brandenburg just a few kilometers from the German-Polish border - now, the mobile fence is being used here for the first time.
In essence, the fence is intended to keep wild boars in the area between the Rhine and the federal highway, preventing them from wandering deeper into Rhineland-Palatinate. It is possible that the disease was brought to Rhineland-Palatinate from swimming wild boars after the outbreak in Southern Hesse. Topographically, the affected area is the best location for the search, as Bischoff, the business manager of the Rhineland-Palatinate Hunting Association, explained. This area can be relatively easily defined.
The ministry bears the costs.
The construction of the fence is taken over by the company Kulturlandschaftsservice Mittelrhein (KLSM). They manage to build three to five kilometers of electric fence per day with their employees, according to their own statements. Twelve accumulators are used to supply power to the fence.
The construction of such a mobile fence costs the ministry 3300 Euro per kilometer, in addition to maintenance and repair costs, which are taken over by the ministry. The fence is checked daily by KLSM for any damages.
"Tierseuchendbekaempfung is a long-distance race"
The Mainz Environmental Ministry in Brandenburg reported that expenses of around 120 million Euro were incurred within three years following the detection of African Swine Fever in 2020.
It is considered certain that the control of African Swine Fever cannot be completed within a few weeks or months. The mobile electric fence purchased by the state may be replaced by a fixed fence. Friedrich Ellerbrock from the Rheinhessen District Office of the Farmers' and Winemakers' Association Rhineland-Palatinate South stated: "Tierseuchendbekaempfung is a long-distance race."
- The construction of the electro-fence in Rhineland-Palatinate's Oppenheim is aimed at containing the spread of African Swine Fever.
- The first section of the fence will be built from Oppenheim to Guntersblum in the affected district of Mainz-Bingen.
- Animal suffering, financial damages, and citizen restrictions are goals the ministry aims to keep minimal due to African Swine Fever.
- Before construction began, a 19,000-hectare area was searched using drones and tracking dogs.
- The mobile electric fence purchased by Rhineland-Palatinate was first used in 2020, following the detection of African Swine Fever in Brandenburg.
- Twenty-nine kilometers of the electro-fence have been built and integrated along the Rhine in Oppenheim.
- The maintenance and repair costs of the electro-fence are covered by the ministry, with daily checks conducted by KLSM.
- In Southern Hesse, there are significantly more farm pigs in the affected area compared to Rhineland-Palatinate's infected district.
- Containing the disease is a long-term challenge, as stated by Friedrich Ellerbrock from the Rheinhessen District Office of the Farmers' and Winemakers' Association Rhineland-Palatinate South.
