Germany braces for ASF "invasion"
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) warns that the African swine fever (ASF) virus in Poland is getting closer to the German border, endangering the pork industry of one of the major producers in the EU.
ASF cases in wild boars have been confirmed lately in Poland at 30 kilometres away from the border and Germany has already accelerated its prevention measure against the disease by building fences along the border and relaxing the hunting regulations for wild boars in some of its provinces.
An eventual ASF outbreak in Germany will have a deep impact on the European pork industry warn experts. "We need to pay special attention to ASF development in Europe, especially in Germany. If Germany would to get ASF disease, China will probably continue to buy pork from Germany but at a considerably lower price. This event would produce a ripple effect on Europe's pig market as a whole,", commented Philippe Malletroit, Genesus' Director for France.
Compared with the US or China, Germany is a small player in the global pork market. However, in 2017, the country accounted for 15% of global pork exports. At this moment, 13 countries in Europe are affected by the disease.
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