Poland to build boar-proof fence to stop spread of African swine fever
PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek
27.03.2018 12:23
A fence along Poland’s eastern border to stop wild boar from migrating and spreading African swine fever is to be set up, with construction to start in September, Poland’s agriculture minister said on Monday.
Krzysztof Jurgiel and Vytenis Andriukaitis. Photo: PAP/Jakub Kamiński.
Polish Agriculture Minister Krzysztof Jurgiel met in Warsaw with European Commissioner for health and food safety Vytenis Andriukaitis and the ministers for agriculture and veterinary services of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and the bloc’s member states.
After the meeting, Jurgiel said that the African swine fever situation was “reasonably stable” and that hygiene and safety practices would be maintained at Polish farms.
He also said that work on a new law to regulate the fence's construction was underway.
"We assume the possible construction [of the fence] should start in September," he said adding that the time frame depended on tender procedures.
Andriukaitis said that European Union countries are to fight the disease by stepping up border controls, hunting practices and boar population control.
Jurgiel last year said that only tested, ASF-negative pork was allowed for processing in Poland.
At the time he also said that all swine near the site of an outbreak were destroyed and that any pigs at risk of contamination were tested.
Poland has confirmed 108 outbreaks of the virus, which is deadly to pigs and wild boars but does not affect humans, with domestic pigs affected in the country's east.
The first recorded outbreak in Poland was in January 2014.
(vb/pk)
Source: IAR