A state of emergency has been declared in the Semberija region by the Rebublika Srpska government, one of the two autonomous entities of post-war Bosnia-Herzegovina, in an attempt to contain the spread of African Swine Fever.
Euractiv reports that Agriculture Minister Savo Minic told Nezavisne Novine that the decision applies to the Semberija region, the country’s grain hub, which has strong cattle farming as well.
The president of a local farmer’s association, Savo Bakajlic, said: “Almost the entire Semberija has been affected, and we want to protect the one little part that has not yet been impacted. We asked the government to declare a state of emergency.”
In order to contain the spread of the highly contagious disease, several thousand pigs will have to be culled and buried at specially designated sites and the transport of live pigs will be reduced.
The Sarajevo Times reported separately that a team of ASF experts from GF TAD (Global Framework for progressive control of Transboundary Animal Diseases) would visit Bosnia-Herzegovina to collect data and make recommendations for how to manage the disease.