Two more cases of ASF confirmed in pigs in Hesse, Germany

African swine fever (ASF) have been confirmed in domestic pigs on two more farms in Hesse, in Germany, according to pig industry body ISN.

The virus was initially detected in June in wild boar in this new area of Germany, in the west of the country, near Frankfurt and not far from the country’s borders with France and http://Belgium.It  was detected on a smallholding in early July and then on a pig farm with 1,100 animals in the Groß-Gerau district of the region in mid-July.

The Hessian Ministry of Agriculture announced on Tuesday (July 23) that two further outbreaks have now occurred in farms, with 17 and 170 pigs, located in the southern district of Groß-Gerau in Hesse’s existing restriction zone.

ISN reports that the Hessian Ministry of Agriculture had asked all pig farms in the region to examine their herds daily for signs of disease and to report them immediately to the district veterinary office and that this process resulted in the discovery of the latest two outbreaks.

“One dead animal was reported in the smaller herd. In the larger farm, the owner noticed several conspicuous animals. The district veterinary office immediately took samples, which were confirmed as positive by the state laboratory that evening. Both pig herds must be killed for reasons of disease control,” ISN said.

The repeated outbreaks in domestic pig populations are highly concentrated in the southern district of Groß-Gerau, illustrating the extremely high viral load in the area around the Knoblochsaue and the Kühkopf, according to the Hessian Ministry of Agriculture

“In order to limit the spread of the epidemic, it is very important that the population and agriculture adhere to the current restrictions,” it said.

Since the disease first hit Germany in September 2020, it has been largely contained to the north-east of the country, close to the Polish border, which is why the Hesse outbreaks represent a concerning development.

The domestic outbreaks come as a further blow to Germany’s efforts to regain lost export markets.