Germany sees new ASF outbreak

The virus has been found in a fattening pig unit for the first time in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture (BMEL) confirmed.

All previous cases had been confined to two states near the Polish border – Brandenburg and Saxony, with the vast majority of cases, now more than 2,000, in wild boar.

Control measures have been put in place by the local authorities, including the removal of all animals on the farm.

Responding to the latest outbreak, the UK’s National Pig Association (NPA) said it represented a “big and worrying leap westwards for the virus”.

The UK’s four Chief Veterinary Officers said the risk of ASF arriving in the UK was ‘ever present’ and would have a ‘devastating impact’ on the pig sector.

“We regularly test our contingency plans to ensure that we are ready to respond to potential future disease outbreaks,” they said.