Since this was the first outbreak of African swine fever in pig-rich Lower Saxony – the farthest west so far – the outbreak near the town of Emsbüren caused a great alarm. A farm had recently bought piglets from the infected farm, but that farm has now been found negative for the African swine fever virus, according to Lower Saxony’s Ministry of Agriculture.
All samples tested negative for ASF
The contact farm is in Freren, also in Lower Saxony, where 1,800 fattening pigs were on site. All samples tested negative. Lower Saxony’s Agriculture Minister Barbara Otte-Kinast is therefore growing hopes that the consequences of the ASF outbreak in Emsbüren will remain limited. Otte-Kinast said: “That gives hope that we are dealing with an isolated case in Emsbüren.”
clubs
Nevertheless, all pigs on this contact farm are culled because the minister does not want to take any risks. During testing, not every finisher could be tested for ASF on site. Also, a test does not guarantee 100% that pigs are free from ASF. In the unlikely scenario that an infected animal slipped through the web and caused more infection, the consequences would be far greater than culling.
Ongoing investigation
Meanwhile, investigations into the source of infection at the Sauenhof in Emsbüren are still ongoing. This Wednesday, packers were invited to a meeting in the Lower Saxony Ministry of Agriculture. Since processors are not always happy to accept pigs from surveillance zones, the minister wanted to guarantee that they also accept pigs from surveillance zones for slaughter. For the time being, however, there is a standstill for the infection area.
The shutdown in the region will last until July 11. It remains a mystery what led to the operation in Lower Saxony becoming infected with ASF.
Also agricultural outbreak in East Germany
This weekend not only caused ASF reports in West Germany, but also a farm near Prenzlau in the Uckermark district near the Polish border was infected. There were approximately 1,300 pigs on this particular farm, 4 of which were found positive for ASF. This outbreak took place in a region where infections are common in the wild boar population, although they were not found in close proximity to the farm.
A total of 7 farms have been infected with ASF in the last 2 years. The largest infected farm was in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with just over 4,000 animals on site. Three locations had fewer than 100 animals on the farm. The majority of the infected farms are in the federal state of Brandenburg, near the Polish border.
