AFRICAN SWINE fever has been detected in domestic pig herds in Germany for the first time, prompting a UK-wide disease contingency exercise.

The disease was confirmed in pigs on an organic farm and two smallholdings in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, close to the border with Poland, where African swine fever is widespread in wild animals, with 1267 cases detected so far in wild boar. Fencing had been built along the Polish border to prevent wild boars entering Germany and six zones were established with intensified hunting of wild boars.

Brandenburg’s minister for consumer protection, Ursula Nonnemacher, said: “It is now important that we quickly find the cause of the entry into the pig population so that we know which route the virus took. The necessary investigations have been initiated and are supported by the task force of the State of Brandenburg and FLI specialists, who we immediately asked for help. The fact that the cases were apparently found quickly shows that the animal disease monitoring works.”

The virus continues to sweep across Eastern Europe and Asia, where it has already resulted in the deaths of around a quarter of the world’s pig population, causing significant disruption to the meat trade.

Government departments across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are set to simulate an outbreak of African swine fever, testing their contingency plans to contain and eliminate the disease in the event that it reaches the UK’s shores in reality.

The UK-wide exercise named ‘Exercise Holly’ was due to take place this Thursday, July 22, concluding on Friday, July 23, and will assess the readiness of the UK to manage such an outbreak.

In a joint statement, Chief Veterinary Officer for Scotland, Sheila Voas, and her counterparts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said: “The risk of African swine fever arriving in the UK is ever present and would have a devastating impact on our pigs and pig keepers if it ever reached our shores. We regularly test our contingency plans in this way to ensure that we are ready to respond to potential future disease outbreaks.”

“Everyone can do their bit to help stop animal diseases spreading to this country through simple actions such as not bringing any pork products back to the UK and disposing of leftovers and food waste in secure bins that wildlife cannot access.”

The government currently deems the risk of the virus being brought into the UK in animal products from affected countries, including from illegal imports, to be at ‘medium’ risk and is urging everyone to play their part in reducing its spread.

Anyone who has visited an ASF-affected area in Europe or elsewhere in the world is warned not to bring any pork or pork products back to the UK. Farmers, the public and members of the food industry have been urged to practise high biosecurity standards, including never feeding catering waste, kitchen scraps or meat products to pigs, which is illegal and can spread the disease.