– There will be enormous consequences if there is an infection on this side of the border, says Gunn Amundsen Eng. On her farm near the Swedish border in Halden municipality, she has between 700 and 800 pigs. In Sweden, at least 20 cases of African swine fever have been detected in wild boar. The disease is fatal for both wild and domestic pigs. So far, the outbreak is limited to Fagersta, which is located around 17 miles north-west of Stockholm. The wild boar population in Norway is still small, but in Sweden there are at least 300,000 wild boars. The animals move freely between the countries. – There are a lot of wild boars that wander across borders. They don’t see that border and they wander back and forth a bit, says Eng. She is very worried about the consequences and what will happen to production if the disease comes to Norway. – It will not only affect the pig industry, she says. – There are many farmers in Østfold and it will most likely affect hunting, farming, hikers and berry pickers. They will notice this too. Can have dramatic consequences The disease has long been widespread in several places further south in Europe, but the outbreak in Sweden is the first to be detected in the Nordic region. African swine fever infects both wild and domestic pigs, but not other animals or humans. In Norway, the population is largest in Østfold, but wild boars have been observed as far north as Trøndelag. There are also wild boars in the agricultural county of Innlandet. Bjørn Gimming is leader of the Norwegian Farmers’ Association. He hopes more wild boars are shot. Photo: Norges Bondelag – We are very worried that it will enter those areas, says leader of the Norwegian Farmers’ Association Bjørn Gimming. Like Eng, he runs a farm in Halden. – It could have dramatic consequences for the Norwegian pig industry if this happens, says Gimming. – We also see that the Swedish authorities have introduced very drastic measures to stop the further spread of the disease. After swine fever was discovered, the Swedish Agricultural Agency has created an infection zone of almost a thousand square kilometres. Within the zone, a number of very strict restrictions have been set for what one can do. Asking people to be careful In Sweden, scientists believe that the virus has spread via human activity, explains veterinarian Carl Andreas Grøntvedt. He is responsible for pigs at the Veterinary Institute and says that there are several ways in which the disease can be transmitted to the animals. – We can bring infection with us, not because we get infected ourselves, but because we can have infectious material on footwear or clothes, says Grøntvedt. – Or we can, by illegally importing meat products, introduce infection that way. Several wild boars in Sweden are infected with African swine fever. Sweden is the first country in the Nordics to have detected the infection. The leader of Norway’s Farmers Association asks people to be careful. – We have to be very careful about feeding animals with human food and throwing food waste into nature. It can transmit diseases to wild animals and we must avoid that at all costs, he says. Pig farmer Gunn Amundsen Eng encourages people who travel in nature to think carefully. – If you find dead animals, it is important to report it to the Norwegian Food Authority, she says.
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