African swine fever (ASF) in Brandenburg has been detected for the first time in a domestic population in the Uckermark district. According to the Ministry of Consumer Protection in Potsdam, a pig farm with around 1,300 animals is affected.
The national reference laboratory, the Friedrich-Loeffler Institute (FLI), confirmed the suspicion of ASF on Saturday. The animal population was immediately blocked by the responsible veterinary office and necessary measures were initiated. The animals were killed and disposed of harmlessly, the ministry said on Saturday.
The cause of the entry into the pig stocks must now be found immediately in order to be able to understand the path of the virus, explained Consumer Protection Minister Ursula Nonnemacher (Greens).
She urged all pig farms to strictly follow strict biosecurity measures to prevent further outbreaks in domestic pig farms.
In September 2020, the first outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar was officially detected nationwide in the Spree-Neisse district. In mid-July last year, swine fever spread to domestic pigs in livestock for the first time in Germany – again in Brandenburg.
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Laboratories had detected the virus in an organic farm with 300 animals in the Spree-Neisse district and in a small farmer with two animals in Märkisch-Oderland. All animals in the two herds were killed.
In Brandenburg, the animal disease has so far been found in a total of 2564 wild boars. Initially, the spread was concentrated in the south and east of Brandenburg, but now the north is also affected. The animal epidemic is a serious viral infection – it usually ends fatally for wild boar and domestic pigs. (dpa)
