Update ASF in Poland 13/12/2019
Outbreaks of ASF in western Poland and repeated claims of lack of actions by the hunters, lead also to a farmers protest in Warsaw on 10 December. Farmers protested at the headquarters of the Polish Hunting Association in Warsaw, blocking the steet. They demanded effective hunting of wild boars, which contributes to better fighting African swine fever (ASF). As a remedy action the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, announced that a draft special law is being prepared to facilitate hunting in the event of the animal disease present in the wildlife.
The Chief Veterinary Inspectorate informed that from 14 November 2019, the occurrence of 26 cases of ASF in wild boars in western Poland was confirmed. Positive results were obtained for samples taken from 42 pieces of fallen boars.
In the west the disease is present in wild boars, found in 3 neighbouring provinces: Lubuskie, Dolnoslaskie and Wielkopolskie.
The most concern was raised by the case no. 2019/2141, as it was found in Wielkopolskie province, where app. 1/3 of pig production of Poland is located.
The fallen wild boar affected with African swine fever was found in the area of Kębłowo, in the Wolsztyn district, located about 8 km from town of Wolsztyn and about 5 km from the fence built on the border between the Lubuskie and Wielkopolskie provinces. As the African swine fever virus is present only in the wild boar population in forests, on the border of the two provinces a fence was quickly erected. The fence is intended to limit wild boar migration and further disease transmission. Additional fences, according to Polish media, are built in the forests around the area where case no. 2019/2141 was found in the Wolsztyn ditrict.
In these areas, the search for dead wild boars continues. All of found dead animals are constantly tested for the presence of ASF virus in their blood.
The situation raised the concerns among farmers and industry. The farmers organisation, Wielkopolska Chamber of Agriculture (WIR), stressed in a position forwarded to Polish Press Agency that there is a need for intensified wild boar population reduction. They claim that Wielkopolska farmers have been calling for increased hunting of wild boars throughout Poland for years.
"After numerous demands regarding the intensification of boar reduction, representatives of the Polish government repeatedly assured that these activities were carried out on an ongoing basis. The effect we could observe on the example of the unlucky cases of sick boars in the Wschowa district (Lubuskie province), when 22 sick boars within a few kilometers of each other. If such density of game is currently in Wielkopolska, where there is a swine concentration, even the best secured farm is not able to protect itself against the virus entering the herd when it appears in the environment " - stated the farmers.
They also blame the environmentalists and ecological organisations to prevent effective hunting for wild boars. However, according to the WIR, the fight against African swine fever cannot be limited to reducing the number of wild boars - this must go hand-in-hand with the consistent application of biosecurity rules on all pig holdings in the country. Unfortunately, they complain about the biosecurity controls performed by the veterinary service, as the inaccuracies appear in this matter, in particular with lack of interpretation of the requirements for farmers, lack of consistency in their application, but also the condition the payment of compensation in the event of an ASF outbreak.
The Wielkopolska Chamber of Agriculture also drew attention to the economic and market aspect of ASF. As emphasized, despite rising pork prices throughout Europe and high prices in Poland, farmers from protected areas receive lower prices, which are partly the result of speculative activities and taking advantage of the situation by intermediaries.
The unfavorable situation in the west of Poland and repeated claims of lack of actions by the hunters lead also to the farmers protest in Warsaw, organised by AgroUnia on 10 December 2019. Farmers protested at the headquarters of the Polish Hunting Association (PHA) in Warsaw, blocking the steet. The assembly demanded the effective hunting of wild boars, which contributes to better fighting African swine fever (ASF). They also demand verification of the PHA's activity and better supervision over this institution.
As a remedy action, Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, announced on 10 December 2019 that a draft special law is being prepared to facilitate hunting in the event of the animal disease present in the wildlife. A special law will include the introduction of night-vision to shoot at night, the introduction of silencers to avoid spreading of hunted animals, and, above all, very drastic penalties for hunters in the event of failure to shoot. The act also proposes that failure to shoot will result in the hunting district being taken away or even the cancelling of a hunting club.
