Pigexpest epidemic: Farmers in Hesse raise the alarm!

Pigexpest epidemic: Farmers in Hesse raise the alarm!

The location of the animal owners in Germany is headed by, in particular through the continued spread of animal diseases such as the African swine plague (ASP) and the mouth and claw disease (MKS). These developments have caused concern with farmers, especially in Hesse. Peter Seeger, a farmer from Otzberg, cannot sell his 3,500 pigs, which is a growing problem. Around 400 of these animals are currently available that were actually intended for the market. Due to the restricted zone 2 of the ASP, pigs may only be slaughtered in specially certified stables, and because of the MKS, further transport bars are severely restricted.

The emergency position of Seeger illustrates the challenges in front of which German pig farming is facing. He had to transport his pigs to Kellinghusen in Schleswig-Holstein, which can no longer be implemented due to the current MKS situation. The farmer is in talks with Helwig Handels GmbH, a slaughterhouse in Hesse, to have pigs from the restricted zone slaughtered there. Overall, there could be a capacity of up to 8,000 pigs per week, which is not without challenges.

uniform regulations required

in the district of Groß-Gerau, the situation has further tightened: of more than 4,000 domestic pigs are only 600 animals left. Farmers President Karsten Schmal emphasizes that the epidemics act as an accelerator for structural change in agriculture. It is not clear how the ASP virus could get to Hessen, but experts suspect that people are introduced. A constant use of detection dogs to identify wild boar cadavians should contribute to the containment of the virus.

Combating the ASP costs the Groß-Gerau district around five million euros. Minister of Agriculture Ingmar Jung demands that the federal government increase support for the affected regions. Schmal also emphasizes the need for nationwide uniform regulations on animal disease control. These are of essential importance for the stability of pig production.

effects of animal diseases

The effects of the ASP in wild boar on the house pig owners are serious. In this way, outbreaks lead to significant restrictions on the rating of pigs and meat products. The Lower Saxony Ministry of Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection emphasizes that bios safety measures in all companies are urgently necessary to prevent the intervention and spread of the ASP. Strict editions within the locking zones are used, which are implemented as soon as an ASP outbreak is registered.

The need for crisis plans is undisputed. An outbreak can have devastating consequences for the entire pig production. Therefore, sample crisis plans have already been created for various areas that are intended to support farmers and slaughterhouses. The stay in restricted zones makes it significantly difficult for farmers to market meat products, even if a letter to the harmless of meat from these zones has already been written.

The challenge of animal health must not only be addressed locally, but also at state, European and international level. This responsibility lies in the hands of the pet owners and veterinarians. Preventive measures are of the utmost importance for the health of animals and thus also for all agriculture, such as the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture . In order to keep agriculture to the future, comprehensive measures to contain the animal diseases are essential.