ASF: Brandenburg lifts several exclusion zones
In Brandenburg, the number of ASF cases in wild boars has decreased significantly or has come to a complete standstill in large parts of the restriction zones defined in the fight against African swine fever (ASF). Against this background, the Ministry of Consumer Protection requested the EU Commission to lift further parts of the exclusion zones at the beginning of January. The EU Commission has now approved the application, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Integration and Consumer Protection of the State of Brandenburg announced recently.
Specifically, in an area of approximately 1,953 square kilometers in the districts of Barnim, Märkisch-Oderland, Oder-Spree and in the independent city of Frankfurt (Oder), the so-called exclusion zone II (infected area) can now be completely lifted and the adjacent exclusion zone I (buffer zone) can be reduced. There hasn't been a single positive case of ASF here for over twelve months. This means that the total area of exclusion zone II in Brandenburg is reduced from 4,499 to 2,545 square kilometers; The total area of exclusion zone I changes from 3,824 to 3,969 square kilometers. State Secretary for Consumer Protection Dr. Antje Töpfer described this step as another major step forward in the fight against ASF and explained that measures against the animal disease would be continued throughout the country until it was eradicated. Despite the positive development, Töpfer warned of new entries that would lead to the re-establishment of restriction zones and the restart of control measures and appealed to citizens to consistently close any remaining ASF fences.
In addition to the control success, the lifting of the exclusion zones also brings relief for the 90 local pig-keeping businesses. In the areas that are no longer part of exclusion zone II, there are no longer any restrictions on the intrastate movement of pigs. Free-range and free-range keeping of domestic pigs is generally possible again in the areas defined by the veterinary offices and with the consent of the districts, provided that the necessary biosecurity measures are met by the animal owners.
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