ASF Germany: Number of outbreaks grow to 70 in Hesse
The number of wild boar infected with African Swine Fever (ASF) virus in western Germany keeps increasing. Just before the weekend, the total tally in Hesse state was 48 – just this Tuesday the number had risen to 70.
Also, the number of infected pig farms has risen again as a 7th location was identified as being infected in Hesse state, Groß-Gerau district. The speed of the infections on-farm is unlike the developments in eastern Germany. When ASF was found in wild boar over there, in total only 6 farms were found infected – and 2 more one-off infections on farm sites elsewhere in the country.
According to data from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the first 5 infected farms had a size of 9 pigs, 1,129 pigs, 16 pigs, 168 pigs and 27 pigs, respectively. According to a newsflash of the Groß-Gerau district, the other 2 farms must have had a size of roughly 9 and 158 pigs. One of them would also have 50 wild boar on-site. A coherent overview by the WOAH is yet to follow.
And the outbreaks now are not only restricted to the district Groß-Gerau. A 1st infected carcass was found in the Bergstraße district, immediately south of Groß-Gerau district. As a result, infected zones will have to be enlarged, which means that part of the state Baden-Württemberg will also be included.
In the neighbouring state of Rhineland-Palatinate, so far 15 outbreaks in wild boar have been reported. That means that, since late last week, no further updates have been made. That brings the total of outbreaks at 85 in western Germany.
Central crisis centre
As a result of the outgoing outbreaks, at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Berlin, the decision was made to form a ‘central crisis staff animal disease’. As Germany is largely decentrally organised, in terms of animal diseases, the main responsibility to coordinate the fight fell with the individual states. As ASF can no longer be considered a regional affair, it appears to have become clear that a certain degree of central coordination may help.
Top Agrar quoted agricultural state secretary Silvia Bender explained that stopping the epidemic has become a giant task. Therefore, all activities must be well coordinated.
Poland heading for more infected farms than in 2023
In neighbouring Poland, it looks like ASF is going to be affecting the herd more severely than it did in 2023. At the moment, the total number of infected farms is 30 – the same amount that was reported in the whole of 2023. The majority of infected farms this year was in the country’s major pig production province Greater Poland (18). So far, 2 farms had more than 1,000 pigs on-site – one of 2,766 pigs and the other 1,784 pigs.
The record in 1 year in Poland, however, was in 2021 when a whopping 124 farms reported an ASFv infection. The majority of reports in 2021 was done in August and September.
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