African Swine Fever hits domestic herds in Poland
PR dla Zagranicy
John Beauchamp
24.07.2014 08:49
Following numerous reports of African Swine Fever hitting wild boar in north-east Poland, the disease has now hit a domesticated herd of pigs at a farm near Bialystok.
Photo: Glowimages
Two pigs have died because of the disease, deputy Veterinary General, Krzysztof Jazdzewski told Polish Radio, Wednesday.
Another three pigs from the same herd have been culled as a preventative measure, although tests are being carried to check whether they too were infected with ASF.
Jazdzewski has said that is possible that all pigs within a 10-km radius from the farm will be culled: there are 37 farms with 192 pigs in the vicinity, which is being closely monitored, he added.
The incident marks the first time African Swine Fever has hit a domesticated herd after reports of the disease surfaced earlier this year among wild boar near the Polish-Belarusian border.
Even though the disease is deadly for swine and is incurable, the virus is harmless to humans. However, countries such as Russia have blocked Polish pork imports because of the disease.
Polish pork exports in the first quarter of 2014 dropped by 6 percent in year-on-year terms, mostly attributed to the ASF crisis. (jb)