Brandenburg is stepping up its measures to combat African swine fever (ASF). With a decree to implement the African swine fever ordinance, the Ministry of Consumer Protection has now ordered additional measures to prevent the introduction of the disease into parts of the country not yet affected, and is promoting early detection. Outside the existing ASF restriction zones, hunters are to hunt wild boars more intensively and search and sample dead wild boars even more intensively. In the defined endangered areas a temporary hunting ban for all animal species is still in effect.
In all rural districts of Brandenburg outside the existing ASF restriction zones, those authorized to hunt should take the following measures:
- Area-wide increased hunting to reduce the wild boar population
- Increased search for dead wild boars (fallen game search)
- Notification, identification and sampling for virological testing of each wild boar found dead, including animals accidentally killed.
In the districts of Uckermark, Barnim, Märkisch-Oderland, Oder-Spree, Spree-Neiße, Dahme-Spreewald, and Oberspreewald-Lausitz samples must be collected immediately for virological testing for ASF from each killed wild boar outside the ASF restriction zones.
The number of wild boars killed by hunters in the past hunting season 2019/2020 was 102,131 - a 43 percent increase compared to the previous year, setting a record. However, an increase in wild boar hunting does not indicate that the total population is declining.
October 5, 2020/ MSGIV/ Germany.
https://msgiv.brandenburg.de