African swine fever in western Poland: Parliamentary State Secretary Feiler offers help
Parliamentary State Secretary Feiler gets an idea on site and promotes cooperation. The Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, Uwe Feiler, got an idea of the preventive measures against African swine fever on the German-Polish border. He also found out about the measures taken by Poland to contain the animal disease and offered help to the neighboring country.
"We are very concerned about the recent evidence of African swine fever relatively close to the border with Germany. So far, the joint efforts of the federal and state governments have prevented the virus from being introduced to Germany. We must not let up here. Preventive measures in the neighboring countries must continue to be maintained at a high level," warns State Secretary Feiler.
Everything must also be done on the Polish side to prevent further spread of African swine fever. State Secretary Feiler has assured Germany's support.
African swine fever (ASF) is usually fatal to pigs. The virus is harmless to humans and other animals. However, trade with third countries would probably be significantly restricted if the disease were to occur in Germany.
In addition to a prevention campaign by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) that has been running for several years, the Ministry has taken good precautions in the event of an outbreak: the Animal Health Act and the Federal Hunting Act have been optimized in order, for example, to regulate access to affected areas as effectively as possible and restrict.
The BMEL is in close contact with Poland as the affected neighboring country, but also with the authorities in Brandenburg, Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which as federal states bordering Poland have a special responsibility for preventing the introduction, but also for early detection.
