Brussels, 03/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Standing Committee on Animal Health and the Feed Chain may decide on Wednesday of next week to take precautionary measures to halt the spread of swine fever in France. The French authorities have confirmed a case of swine fever in Moselle and have taken the required measures, slaughtering 395 piglets on the farm concerned. Protection zones in the 3km around the farm have been set up, along with monitoring zones in the 10km around the farm, where there are 24 pig farms. Nine farms in Moselle and Meurthe-en-Moselle have been placed under surveillance. All transport of pigs and boar from the two départements have been suspended.
According to veterinary services, the farms have probably been in direct contact (open air farms) or indirect contact (feeding pigs with kitchen slops containing infect venison, infected hunters crossing the farmland, etc) with wild boar. Since the beginning of 2002 four German pig farms have been infected with swine fever in Rhineland-Palatinate through contact with wild boar. There have been outbreaks on four farms in Luxembourg too, leading to the slaughter of nearly 10,000 pigs.