Federal ministers Christian Schmidt has announced, as a precaution, to exacerbate swine Fever Ordinance. This included "disinfection measures on a larger scale" and an extension of hunting for wild boars. The new draft should be available "already shortly" after it has been agreed with federal government and Länder. Schmidt said that before a special Agrarministerkonferenz in Berlin.

Germany is well prepared for a possible outbreak, SagteSchmidt. "If African swine fever comes to us, it must remain a regional phenomenon." Important measures for this are "stable hygiene, consistent cleaning of transport vehicles and foreclosure of herd against wild boars".  In addition, development of a vaccine against swine fever will be accelerated.

EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis also called for "maximum use" to prevent African swine flu from being overtaken in Germany. So far, epidemic is "not out of control".

African swine fever has been spreading over Russia and Baltic in direction of Western Europe for several years. For humans, pathogens are harmless. However, agriculture fears damage in billions of dollars and a crisis of existence for many companies, virus should reach Germany. There is no vaccine.

African swine fever What is African swine fever?

For humans, this disease is harmless – quite different from domestic and feral pigs. This viral infection is transmitted by lear tick s in some African states: that it first appeared re, animal disease was called African Swine Fever (ASP). It is also contagious from pig to pig – wild boars and domestic pigs can infect each or.

The animals suffer from fever a few days after infection, refuse Food and act lethargic. At first glance, infection resembles or general diseases that occur among animals. A test reveals virus that is subject to reporting.

How exactly will it be transferred?

Infectious are secretions, blood and sperm of infected animals. Animals contaminated with virus can also catch pathogen. It also survives in vehicles and stables, on equipment and machines – in many cases human being spreads in itself, for example on animal transport or through hunting tools. The blood of infected animals is particularly virenlastig.

Where did she spread?

In year 2017, Wild boars were infected with ASP, especially in Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic, Estonia and some of neighbouring countries. Also in beginning of 2018 cases occur mainly in Baltic States and in Eastern Europe. Most of cases reported so far among domestic pigs concerned Ukraine and Poland. Current figures are published by Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI).

In response to a possible spread to Germany, most federal states have made it easier to hunt wild boars. Their stock has been growing for years: Experts assume that targeted black game hunting is important to fend off ASP. no case has yet been reported from Germany , but veterinarians expect that epidemic will infect German wild animals and livestock.

Animal welfare associations criticise planned measures. Hunting is not a panacea, but "Actionism", WWF said. The reason for large game stock was large-scale cultivation of maize and rape in Germany. The Farmers ' Association had already last week demanded to shoot 70 percent of all wild boars in Germany. If a case is found in Germany, an export stop for pigs is threatened. The managing director of German Wildlife Foundation, Hilmar Freiherr von Munchausen, said in interview with time online that plague was "no reason to hunt wild boars completely without a head. In this situation, animals are more likely to be victims than perpetrators. "

In Czech Republic, about 300 kilometres from German border, cases of African swine fever have already been identified. Not only wild boars, but also humans can be carriers. "About under shoes or on car tires. Also a discarded sausage, which may have been lubricated in Belarus, can cause an outbreak in Germany ", says ministers Schmidt in an interview with newspapers of editorial network Germany.

Date Of Update: 19 January 2018, 12:02