Brussels, 28/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - African swine fever has been identified in boar in Lithuania. The European Commission therefore adopted protection measures against this animal disease on Monday 27 January. Emergency restrictions have been applied to a specifically defined infected region.
The Commission has also sent a team of experts to the area (a joint team of emergency veterinarians). The EU's reference laboratory for African swine fever will help the veterinary authorities in Lithuania apply the required control and restriction measures. To help prevent the African swine fever from spreading, the Lithuanian authorities have introduced a number of restrictions that include: enhanced surveillance of wild boar and pigs; sending samples to the EU reference laboratory in Spain for more detailed analysis; measures to isolate the animals on their farms (unless there is authorisation by the appropriate authorities). Lithuania will, above all, have to completely ban the transport of living pigs, pig semen, ovaries and embryos from the infected area (six areas are affected: Trakai, Salcininkai, Lazdijai, Varena, Alytus and Druskininkai): - no pig meat, pork meat-based products or other products containing pork meat from infected areas can be sent out.
The measures will be reviewed on 6 February by experts from the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health. On 24 January, Lithuania confirmed the presence of this virus in two boar in the southeast of the country near the Belorussian border. This infection could have possibly been caused by infected wild boars coming from Belorussia. (LC/transl.fl)