Measure for containment - Electric fence in kilometers against African Swine Fever
Up to 30 kilometers of electric fence are planned to help contain the African Swine Fever in Rhineland-Palatinate in the future. The fence is to be installed along the Bundesstraße 9 on the Rhine or the nearby railway south of Mainz in the coming days.
The exact route cannot be specified yet, as the Environment Ministry announced in Mainz in the evening. Once everything is clarified, around 20 kilometers of fence can be set up within two or three days. The fence is to be checked daily for damages.
Land makes fence available
The Mainz-Bingen district administration spoke of an approximate route from Nackenheim to Guntersblum. "The disease should not be spread to other regions," emphasized the district. Similarly, Environmental Minister Katrin Eder (Greens) said: "To keep the damage in agriculture as small as possible and to reduce restrictions for all citizens to the necessary minimum, it is important that we do everything we can to prevent the African Swine Fever from spreading further."
After the ministry reported that an area of over 4700 hectares had been searched with drones and cadaver-sniffing dogs in the past few days, the fence is another means of containing the disease. The land had already provided it some years ago for the epidemic and is now reportedly making it available to the districts. The B9 or the railway should be used as a barrier to prevent the spread of the virus from the core area as much as possible. The fence takes into account the movement of wild boars.
Further fences considered
According to the statements of the Mainz-Bingen district, further fences - for example, along the Autobahn 63 - are being considered in cooperation with the state. In the Mainz-Bingen district, three wild boar carcasses have been found in the past few days. In the neighboring Alzey-Worms district, there are now reportedly five confirmed cases.
The Mainz-Bingen district appealed to the citizens to not hold parties or celebrations along the Rhine between Oppenheim and Guntersblum. "It is now important that the citizens cooperate," said District Administrator Dorothea Schäfer (CDU) in a statement. This does not apply to the large wine festivals in municipalities such as Nackenheim, Oppenheim or Nierstein. Life can continue normally in built-up areas.
- The electric fence, planned for up to 30 kilometers in Rhineland-Palatinate, will be installed along the Bundesstraße 9 near Bingen, located south of Mainz.
- The Environment Ministry announced that the electric fence is intended to contain the African Swine Fever, which has been identified in the Rhine region, and prevent its spread to other regions like Bingen.
- To ensure the effectiveness of the electric fence, the district administration in Mainz-Bingen has considered expanding the barrier along the Autobahn 63, aiming to create an additional barrier for wild boars.
- The Minister of Environmental Affairs in Rhineland-Palatinate, Katrin Eder (Greens), emphasized the importance of implementing measures like electric fences and drone searches to mitigate the impact of African Swine Fever on agriculture and minimize restrictions for the general public.
- Rhineland-Palatinate has already provided land for electric fences in the past during epidemics, and this land will be utilized once again to help contain the spread of African Swine Fever along the Rhine, near cities like Mainz and Bingen.
