- Swine fever: Healthy animals killed for lack of space
In the particularly affected district of Groß-Gerau, nearly 500 pigs from two large-scale farms have been slaughtered. The farms themselves are not affected by African Swine Fever, the district announced on Friday. The healthy animals had to be killed in a slaughterhouse in Northern Germany to create more space for the remaining herd.
The two farms in the inner protection zone 3, where the virus has been detected in domestic pig populations, are currently not allowed to sell any animals. However, they have continued to have new offspring in recent weeks. The slaughterhouse is currently the only one in Germany that is allowed to slaughter pigs from the protection zone 3. Smaller slaughterhouses do not have the facilities for separate storage of the meat, which will now likely be frozen, according to a spokeswoman for the district. All pigs had been tested beforehand.
African Swine Fever was first detected in a wild boar in the district of Groß-Gerau in mid-June. The viral disease is incurable and almost always fatal for wild and domestic pigs. It is harmless to humans and other animal species, according to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. So far, eight farms have been affected by an outbreak in the district, resulting in nearly 4,000 pigs being culled.
The measures taken in the district of Groß-Gerau include the slaughter of healthy pigs from two farms to create space, as they are currently located in the protection zone 3 where African Swine Fever has been detected. Despite the virus affecting their area, these farms have continued to produce new offspring recently.
