ASF UK pig industry's biggest exotic disease concern
2nd Aug 2017 / By Alistair Driver
The risk of African Swine Fever (ASF) entering the UK pig population has been identified as number one concern for the industry when it comes to exotic diseases, by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) pig specialists.
ASF has been discovered in Romania having been discovered in the Czech Republic in June, where more than 60 cases are now reported to have been confirmed, all in wild boar in the Zlin region in the east of the country.
ASF, which has never occurred in the UK, has been regularly found in wild boar in several eastern EU member states since 2014, and longer in Russia and Ukraine.
Speaking to Pig World, Dr Susanna Williamson, pig veterinary lead at APHA’s disease surveillance unit, said an ASF outbreak would be 'hugely damaging' to the UK pig industry and is urging producers to take all necessary precautions, particularly when it comes to feeding pigs. “ASF is the main notifiable pig disease that we are concerned about,” she said.
For more on this story, see Pig World