Poland is debating on the anti-ASF fence measure
The project of a fence raised along the Polish Eastern border with Kaliningrad, Belarus and Ukraine, to protect the country swine population by the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus, could be replaced by a dam, reports Nto.pl.
A final decision will be adopted next week by the Government after the farmers from the area launched the idea of a dam instead of a simple fence built along the border, announced Krzysztof Jurgiel, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Inside the Government there are different opinions regarding the utility of a barrier put in the way of the wild boars that could spread the disease, as the Minister of the Environment, Henryk Kowalczykm, emphasized that a fence or even a dam would have been useful two years ago, when the number of ASF cases were low.
According to the latest announcement of the Chief Veterinary Officer, during the week, there were 56 new cases of ASF in wild boars. Since February 2014, when the virus was first signalled in Poland, there have been more than 2000 cases reported.
The building of a dam in the way of wild boars from the neighbouring countries in the East could exceed the cost of €58 million. The solution of a fence would also be expensive and, from some points of view, inefficient.
Four years ago, ASF started to spread from the former USSR countries to EU territory being carried by the wild boars. The disease does not affect humans but it could decimate the pig population in the areas affected. At this moment, ASF cases were reported in Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary.
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