Livestock farmers in the north-east see African swine fever, which was first detected in the country a year ago, as a further threat to domestic pig populations. They are hoping for support from the federal government.
Schwerin (dpa / mv) – From the point of view of farmers in the north-east, African swine fever (ASF) is still a danger. “It is only thanks to the fact that the pig-keeping companies in the state strictly comply with the biosecurity measures in their facilities that so far only two cases of ASF have occurred in domestic pig populations in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,” said the Mecklenburg-Western Pomeranian Farmers’ Association in Schwerin. Almost a year after the first finds, the situation in this country is still extremely tense.
The association describes the consequences for animal owners in Germany as dramatic. “Due to animal disease legal restrictions, overweight animals in our country remained in the stables and were not slaughtered,” it said. Although the meat is clinically and virologically examined before being exported from the restricted zones and is therefore safe, the marketing and sale is associated with too much effort and costs. Owners and downstream companies are therefore suffering greatly from the government-imposed containment measures.
The Farmers’ Association of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania therefore appealed to the federal government to find a solution as quickly as possible to make the situation more bearable for those affected. One suggestion is that the federal and state governments set up a purchase program for meat from the ASF zones. From their point of view, the state is obliged to compensate for the damage caused to companies by the measures.
