Denmark to build wild boar fence on border

COPENHAGEN: Denmark said yesterday it will build a 70km fence on its German border to keep out wild boars that can carry the deadly infection African swine fewer to farm pigs and threaten the country’s large pork industry.

While no case has yet been detected in Denmark, the spread of the disease in eastern Europe is causing concern in the country whose pig exports amount to 33 billion Danish crowns ($5.5 billion) per year.

The virus, which causes African swine fever, is harmless to humans and other animals. But for wild boar and farm pigs, the disease is deadly in almost all cases within 10 days. There is no vaccine against it.

An outbreak of the disease in Denmark would shut down all exports to nonEU countries for a period, while only exports from the affected area in Denmark would be blocked from being exported to other EU member states, the Government said. — Reuters