Illness - Swine fever in Hesse: Long battle with strict rules
After the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Hessen, authorities and municipalities are working to prevent the spread of the virus disease. Six dead wild boars have been tested positive for the agent in the Kreis Groß-Gerau district. The Hessian Ministry of Agriculture expects a long fight against the animal disease.
"The control of African Swine Fever in the wild boar population is laborious and can last for many months," explained a spokesperson.
This issue is subject to EU regulations. "These regulations are strict to prevent the spread of ASP through meat or infectious material to free areas, especially in other EU member states." As for pigs, both domestic and wild, ASF poses a great risk. "A large proportion of infected animals die from it. That's why we're doing everything we can to prevent its spread."
The first ASP case in Germany was detected on September 10, 2020, in a wild boar in Brandenburg. In Hessen, the virus was first confirmed in mid-June in a wild boar in the southern district of Groß-Gerau. Following the discovery near Rüsselsheim, a so-called restriction zone was established with a radius of approximately 15 kilometers. In this quarantine zone, hunting bans, leashes for dogs, and restrictions for farmers have been in effect. The ministry confirmed five additional cases last weekend.
ASF is a dangerous disease for humans and affects both domestic and wild pigs and usually runs a fatal course. There is no way to protect pigs through vaccination. The disease can be transmitted directly from animal to animal or indirectly through contaminated objects such as clothing, shoes, and feed.
Ministry sees high spread risk in wild boar population
The spread risk of ASF in the wild boar population is high, according to the ministry spokesperson. "The infection risk for living pigs mainly comes from infected carcasses, as the disease can already be transmitted through minute amounts of blood or blood-contaminated tissue." Therefore, the search for dead wild boars, their recovery, testing, and safe disposal is essential. Areas where infected wild boars are suspected to be present are being searched using drones or cadaver dogs. Since domestic pigs can also transmit the disease, all transports of domestic pigs from farms within the restriction zones are initially banned. "Only under strict conditions and after a health check can domestic pigs be transported again after some time."
An infection in pig farms is a major problem for pig farmers
"An infection in pig farms is a major problem for pig farmers," said Marie-Claire von Spee, press spokesperson for the Hessian Farmers' Association. "If the disease spreads to the domestic pig population, the entire herd must be culled." That's why farmers are currently paying more attention than ever to the biosecurity of their herds and to hygiene. They are also particularly affected in the restriction zones, as they are currently unable to transport pigs at all, and thus not to the slaughterhouses.
All Hessian pig farmers are now required to check their businesses for the correct biosecurity measures to prevent an entry in their own inventory, urged Spee. Jagdhunds and hunting clothing must be strictly separated from pig farming, domestic pigs should have no contact with wild boars. Therefore, a double fence is prescribed for free-range or pasture-raising pig farming.
However, not only pig farmers are affected. In the restriction zone, there will be few exceptions for the management of agricultural areas, in order to prevent the dispersal of wild boars, explained Spee. "In particular, given the ongoing harvest and the upcoming winter grain harvest, these restrictions will affect the affected farmers naturally, but it is currently essential that the prevention of the spread of ASF takes priority." Farmers who currently need to work on their lands can apply for corresponding special permits from the districts.
Farmers' Association is optimistic about containment
The Farmers' Association expressed confidence that the containment of African Swine Fever (ASF) will be successful: "The measures taken in the restriction zone have been coordinated with the affected federal states in Eastern Germany and experts from the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, so we assume that they will be effective and prevent the spread." However, criticism is also loud: "We have been advocating for containment of the wild boar population for years, but unfortunately this has not been successful to a sufficient extent," said Spee. "The responsibility for this lies not with the farmers, they have to bear it now."
"We are focusing exclusively on the containment of ASF in this situation," explained the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Agriculture. "But through the fundamental abolition of the hunting season for black wild boar in 2018 and the approval of certain night vision technology for hunting black wild boar in 2020, hunting has been significantly facilitated again." The implementation of trans-district hunts by hunting associations is financially supported. "All this has not been without effect: Although the annual population numbers for black wild boar fluctuate, the number of hunted wild boars has been increasing strongly for a long time."
Search for carcasses with dog teams and drones
Meanwhile, the search for further carcasses in the containment zone is in full swing. In the Kreis Groß-Gerau, for example, there are reportedly up to 70 dog- and drone teams in action daily. On Thursday, Agriculture Minister Ingmar Jung (CDU) is expected in the Operations Center in Groß-Gerau to get a firsthand impression of the situation. According to the Ministry's announcement on Wednesday, a total of 29 dead wild boars have been recovered in the restriction zone so far - 17 in the Kreis Groß-Gerau, nine in Wiesbaden, two in Frankfurt, and one in the Main-Taunus-Kreis. 27 of these animals have already been tested.
- The Hessian Ministry expects a long fight against African Swine Fever (ASF), a dangerous disease that affects both domestic and wild pigs.
- The first ASF case in Germany was detected in Brandenburg in 2020.
- Following the discovery in Rüsselsheim, a quarantine zone with restrictions for farmers, hunting bans, and leashes for dogs was established.
- The spread risk in the wild boar population is high, with the infection risk for living pigs coming from infected carcasses.
- The ministry is searching for dead wild boars using drones or cadaver dogs, as the disease can spread through minute amounts of blood or blood-contaminated tissue.
- An infection in pig farms is a major problem for pig farmers, who are currently paying more attention to biosecurity measures and hygiene.
- All domestic pig transports from farms within the restriction zones are currently banned, and these transports can only resume under strict conditions after a health check.
- Both the Hessian Farmers' Association and the Ministry of Agriculture are optimistic about containing ASF, but criticize the lack of success in containing the wild boar population.
- The search for further carcasses in the containment zone is ongoing, with up to 70 dog- and drone teams in action daily in the Kreis Groß-Gerau.
- Agriculture Minister Ingmar Jung is expected to visit the Operations Center in Groß-Gerau to get a firsthand impression of the situation, as there have been 29 dead wild boars recovered in the restriction zone so far.
