Fears over swine fever after it makes ‘big jump’ in Belgium

The confirmation of African Swine Fever (ASF) in wild boar in Belgium recently has raised concerns over the risk for herds in Scotland and a reminder has been issued over the dangers of illegally feeding human food scraps and swill to any pigs – including pets and wild feral animals.

The sector has viewed the news as a big ‘jump’ for the disease and raises questions about how widespread the infection is in wild boar across main- land Europe. Scots producers have been particularly worried as Scotland is a big importer of pork loins from Belgium to be cured for bacon. Any entry into the Belgian commercial herd could pose a significant risk to Scotland’s pigs.

And while calls have been made for a ban on imports from Belgium, National Pig Association (NPA) chief executive Zoe Davies said that an outright ban was not allowed within the EU - although controls would come into operation on a regionalbasisifthedisease was confirmed in commercial herds.

The NPA also stressed that all keepers of pigs should exercise extreme caution to ensure there was no chance of pigs being exposed to contaminated product:

“Swill feeding is illegal, and pigs should not be fed or have access to any ‘scrap’ or waste food. This includes taking all possible steps to ensure pigs do not come into contact with infected material.”

Producers were advised to ensure all staff were aware of the risks and told not to bring any food into areas where it could come into contact with pigs.