Paris (AFP)
The French Ministry of Agriculture announced Monday the extension of the perimeter of the observation area set up to prevent the arrival of African swine fever (ASF) at the borders, while ensuring that France was still free from disease.
"France is to date free from PPA", according to a press release from the ministry, which announces the strengthening of protection measures at the border with Belgium following an opinion from the French Agency for Health Security (ANSES).
The Ministry of Agriculture has extended the perimeter of the observation area set up as part of ASF prevention measures "in the department of Ardennes along the Belgian border", according to the text.
A fence has been erected in the departments of Ardennes, Meuse and Meurthe-et-Moselle, in order to delimit a white area, depopulated with wild boars, and an observation area with regard to the infected area in Belgium, recalls the Ministry.
"The fence work is now complete, with a total of 132 km of fences which are connected to the Belgian fences," said the press release.
In addition, the decree introduces derogations from the ban on activity in the forest authorizing the use of firewood for individuals, reserved for domestic use.
The appearance of an outbreak in mid-November in western Poland had already worried the industry both in Germany and in France. But the discovery in early December of a boar carrying African swine fever (ASF) at Nowogrod Bobrzanski, just 40 kilometers from the German border, put the authorities on alert.
Harmless to humans, this highly contagious viral disease leads to hemorrhages which can be fatal in a few days in wild boars and pigs. No vaccine has yet been proven.
The disease is currently wreaking havoc in China and has led to a sharp increase in pork imports, particularly from French farms.
© 2019 AFP