The outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) which has taken root in Germany has now topped 1,000 cases, putting further delays on its return as a major player in the meat export market, according to a report from Bloomberg.
Although notable no pigs on farms have contracted the disease, n estimated 1,016 wild boar in Germany’s east have contracted ASF since an initial report last autumn, figures from the affected states of Brandenburg and Saxony show.
The outbreak appears unlikely to end soon, with infections still present in neighbouring country Poland.
“Every week we’ve got several new cases, it’s far from under control,” said Tim Koch, livestock analyst at AMI. “Some third countries are opening their border for German pig meat, but it’s all comparably low numbers. China imported more meat in the last year than all the other countries together.”
“It will be a long way to leave all the restrictions for German exports of pig-meat,” said Udo Hemmerling, deputy secretary general at farmers union DBV.
