– African swine fever is one of the most serious pig diseases in the world, says veterinarian Carl Andreas Grøntvedt. He is responsible for pigs at the Veterinary Institute and says that it will be very serious if swine fever comes to Norway. On 6 September, the Swedish Veterinary Institute announced that African swine fever had been discovered in a dead boar. It was found in Fagersta, which is about 17 miles northwest of Stockholm. Later, at least 20 infected animals were detected. These are the first cases that have been discovered in the Nordic region. The disease infects both wild and domestic pigs, but not other animals or humans. – The animals that are infected by this become very ill. Almost all pigs that are infected by the virus die, says Grøntvedt. Could have major consequences If the virus comes to Norway, it could have consequences for the production of pork products. – Other countries would like to limit the import of pig products from Norway, says game researcher Inger Maren Rivrud at the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (NINA). Inger Maren Rivrud is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research. She believes it is important to gain more knowledge about wild boar in Norway. Photo: Norwegian Institute for Natural Research / Press image Intervention measures will also be introduced to limit infection. – In Sweden, they have now slaughtered the pig herds that are within the infection zone, even if they have not been infected, but as a preventive measure, she explains. – There are also drastic measures that affect business and outdoor life, such as not being able to carry out forestry operations or pick mushrooms and berries. Encourages to shoot wild boars In Norway, it is legal to shoot wild boars all year round. The animals are considered an alien species and are unwanted. Most wild boars are in the south of Østfold, towards the border with Sweden. Three out of four boars that are shot are felled in this area. – The goal is for us to have as few wild boars as possible, says chief veterinarian Ole-Herman Tronerud at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. Ole-Herman Tronerud in the Norwegian Food Safety Authority encourages hunters to shoot wild boar. Photo: Magnus Brenna-Lund / news The population in Norway is still small, but in Sweden there are at least 300,000 wild boar. The animals can move freely across national borders. – We always want to have a flow of wild boar across the border, but the goal is that as soon as one wild boar comes across, someone shoots it down, says Tronerud. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority gives an allowance to hunters who shoot wild boar. Those who report that they have found a dead wild boar also receive money. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority will now put forward a proposal to increase the rates further. – Can it help to give a higher remuneration for sampling or reporting dead wild boar? Which means that we might get a motivation for someone to hunt more, says Tronerud. Infection zone of a thousand square kilometers The Norwegian Farmers’ Association also fears the disease. – This is a serious situation. We have never experienced having the disease so close to Norway, says manager Bjørn Gimming. – The most important measure to reduce the risk is to reduce the wild boar population to zero. The leader of the Norwegian Farmers’ Association, Bjørn Gimming, believes that hunters, farmers and landowners must now start a combat strategy. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news After swine fever was discovered in the neighboring country, the Swedish Board of Agriculture 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. – The extent of the zone is laid out on the basis of the wild boar population, i.e. how many there are, what the density is and how they move in the area. We have a strong need for such knowledge in Norway to strengthen preparedness, says Rivrud. Although there are most wild boars in Østfold, they have been observed as far north as Trøndelag. There are also wild boars in the interior. – The areas where we have the most wild boar overlap quite well with where there is the most pig production, says Rivrud. Difficult to fight Several countries in Europe have had African swine fever for many years. It has caused problems. – African swine fever in the wild boar population has proven to be very difficult to get rid of, says Tronerud in the Norwegian Food Authority. Despite the fact that it has now been detected in Sweden, it is not guaranteed that it will come to Norway. – We have seen a development that has taken place over quite a long time. If we look at Europe, African swine fever was detected in the EU for the first time in 2014, says veterinarian Carl Andreas Grøntvedt. He says that it is a disease that the Veterinary Institute has followed for a long time and that there has been a gradual spread of the virus. – There are only two countries that have managed to combat the disease in wild boars in Europe so far, and those are Belgium and the Czech Republic. They have achieved this with extensive and interventional measures, says Grøntvedt.
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Will shoot all wild boars in Norway to prevent African swine fever – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
