Schwerin (dpa/mv) – One year after the first discovery, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Minister of Agriculture, Till Backhaus (SPD), is cautiously optimistic about the fight against African swine fever (ASF), especially in comparison to neighboring countries. The last of a total of 48 finds in the northeast – almost exclusively in wild boar – was discovered on October 13, 2022, he said at a press conference on Monday in Schwerin. In the same period, however, 2,600 cases occurred in Brandenburg and 1,700 in Saxony. “Something seems to have been done right,” said Backhaus.
Overall, according to the minister, there is no change in the ASF situation in the north-east. This is a good and important message for the country. Nevertheless, the exclusion zones around the find areas remain in place, including in the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim. According to the information, these will only be lifted once no case of the animal disease has been detected for a year. On Monday, Backhaus warned both the district and the hunters’ association to carry out their tasks, according to him, the wild boars in the restricted area must be killed.
The head of department estimates the country’s previous expenditure on disease control at around 25 million euros, plus 11.5 million euros that the federal government has made available for a compensation fund. Here, too, one has been frugal so far, Backhaus assumes that Brandenburg will have spent more than four times as much in state funds by the end of the year. The construction of the fence and the hunting premiums are therefore major costs.
