Last Friday, the Commission was informed by the German authorities that two outbreaks of classical swine fever were confirmed in two pig farms in Haltern and Lavesum in North-Rhine Westphalia. This disease is known to occur in the wild boar in the same Lander, but in a different area, where Community measures have already been in place, including oral vaccination of the wild boar and restrictions to movement of domestic pigs. Further investigations and laboratory testing are necessary to confirm or exclude whether the recent outbreaks of disease in pig farms are linked to the occurrence of disease in the wild boar.

Germany has applied rigorous measures to control these outbreaks in pigs, in accordance with Council Directive 2001/89/EC on the control of classical swine fever. These measures have included the killing and destruction of all pigs in the two outbreaks and in all farms located in a zone of 1 Km radius around the outbreaks. The disease has been confirmed today on pigs killed during the week-end in one of these farms, located at 100 meters distance from the outbreak in Haltern.

Protection zones (3 km radius) and surveillance zones (10 km radius) around the infected farms and a 20 Km radius buffer zone have also been established, where a complete standstill of movements of domestic pigs will apply for a period of 10 days.

The disease situation in Germany will be reviewed by the Commission and the Member States veterinary experts tomorrow at the meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health.

Further Information

Information on Classical Swine Fever

Source: European Commission - 6th March 2006