Creed: African swine fever 'increasing cause for concern'

The recent detection of African swine fever in Belgium has been noted with concern by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed.

“The identification of African swine fever now in Belgium, close to the French border, as well as its continued spread in eastern Europe, is an increasing cause of concern,” Minister Creed said.

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and usually fatal viral disease of pigs. It does not affect humans and meat from pigs does not pose any food safety risk, according to the Department of Agriculture.

However, the disease has been spreading in eastern Europe since it first entered the European Union in 2014.

In addition to the new cases in Belgium, the disease is already present in a number of EU member states including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and more recently Bulgaria.

ASF was also confirmed in China for the first time in August 2018. There is no treatment for ASF in pigs and there is no vaccine available currently.

Minister Creed advised pig farmers to be aware of the clinical signs of ASF and to consult their vet or local Regional Veterinary Office if they have any concerns.

“It is vital that biosecurity measures are reviewed, that unauthorised persons do not have access to pigs at any time, that food waste is not fed to pigs and that all workers on pig farms are fully aware of the necessary biosecurity measures,” the minister added.

He advised members of the public not to bring meat or meat products from affected countries into Ireland and that anyone visiting a farm in affected countries to take particular biosecurity measures before entering onto Irish farms.

Minister Creed advised that further information is available on the department’s website.

The Department of Agriculture maintains close contact with the European Commission – and also with DAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) in Northern Ireland – and will keep the situation under continuous review, a department spokesperson said.