Page 3 of articles about African Swine Fever in Articles

Enric Marco comments on the practical implications of a recent article investigating the transmission of ASF through ingestion of flies.

There is no doubt if the disease is discovered in a major piglet or pork producing/exporting country such as Denmark, Germany, Spain or the USA, the mortality it causes would be only the beginning of the woes.

The appearance of ASF in Belgium has entailed a real blow for the EU pig sector.

10 recomendations to face African Swine Fever (ASF).

Right now it all depends on the evolution of the situation in China.

Prevention against ASF involves farmers, farm staff, veterinarians, lorry drivers, hunters and the Official Veterinary Services.

The threat of ASF in Germany causes that nobody wants to keep greats stocks because of the risk that they become ‘unsaleable’. This attitude of selling at all costs has caused a collapse of meat prices in Europe.

The complexity of ASF control means we need to make a group effort to prevent the disease from entering the EU and make sure we are prepared to fight the disease if it shows up.

Mr. Antonio Tavares, president of the COPA-COGECA, tells us about the current challenges for the European pig sector: the European Commission wants to ban tail docking within 3 years, but nevertheless, it does not plan legislative changes regarding castration.

The ASF situation in Poland (19 cases and 2 outbreaks in 4 municipalities) seems to be very different from the countries east from Poland: it can be concluded that among wild boar in 4 municipalities the course of the disease is endemic rather than epidemic.

In this second part the actions described are the ones needed when the disease is already in the country.

ASF spreads mainly through the movement of infected pork and other animal products, as well as live animals, which includes wild boar.

ASF is now firmly established in some areas of the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, where it is causing considerable trade disruptions, plus having a devastating impact on small-scale pig farmers.

The clinical profile seen to date of ASF in Russia and neighboring countries is a typical acute disease. The animals die between 7 and 15 days post-infection and the symptoms observed include fever, huddling together due to cold, and injuries described above.