In full swing: the construction of permanent metal fences at the border between Poland and Germany.
virus spreading and for early detection and alarm, should the virus pop up in new areas.
Responses and doubts Despite all these guidelines, German pig producers are not convinced the virus is being tackled adequately. Germany’s trade union for swine producers (ISN) has been sent many pictures and videos by farmers. For instance, farmers are wor- ried about the temporary fences used to block wild boar mi- gration. These might be suited to keeping sheep in place, they say, but wild boar are a different matter. From the con- cerns being expressed, the ISN concludes that many farmers may not have adequate biosecurity around their farms. Context matters, ISN says. After the discovery of ASF in Ger- many, the rules weren’t immediately implemented perfectly, but the ISN realises that the authorities needed some time to align their approaches. In addition, the federal agricultural ministry, led by minister Julia Klöckner, is showing good in- tentions as well as a sense of responsibility in dealing with ASF. If necessary, the federal agricultural ministry coordinates and supports people in the field, says ISN’s director Torsten Staack. Earlier, the German Farmers’ Association (Bauernverband) and the Hunters’ Association (Jagdverband) launched a plea for a more coordinated approach to ASF. They also called for the
construction of a solid, permanent border fence to keep out wild boar from Poland. Without a fence, infected wild boar can simply keep coming in. Such a fence would effectively block the “back door”, making sure no wild boar can enter Germany, hence reducing the chances for entry of the virus. The German Federal Council al- lowed the construction of such a permanent fence this sum- mer; as a consequence the state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – the northernmost of the three states bordering Poland – began to build this type of permanent fence in July. So did Brandenburg state – and the state will contribute € 6 million towards their fence. The southernmost state bordering Po- land, Saxony, hasn’t got quite this far yet. Other constituent states in Germany will co-finance the fence. This support is vital, as the approach of ASF only works if it is sup- ported nationwide, federal agricultural minister Klöckner said.
Eradicating African Swine Fever In the meantime, the next step of the eradication plan has been announced. It involves the creation of “white zones”, or zones of 5km around the two inner zones. These would be fenced off properly on the inside as well as the outside with a decent fence that is 1.20 metres high. Construction for these fences has already started and is expected to take a few weeks. Once the fences are ready, the intention is to shoot all
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