The highly contagious animal disease African Swine Fever (ASF) is rapidly spreading in Germany. In the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, multiple infections have been detected among wild boars and domestic pigs. This disease has now also been found in North Rhine-Westphalia, about 150 kilometers from the border with the Netherlands.
In Germany, cases of the disease have mainly occurred in the summer among domesticated pigs, so extra vigilance is required. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is therefore urging transporters to tighten the cleaning and disinfecting (C&D) of animal transport vehicles.
During animal transport, there is a risk of spreading African Swine Fever over large distances. Therefore, it is essential to strictly adhere to transport hygiene, C&D procedures, and hygiene protocols. This call applies to livestock transport vehicles at primary farms, collection centers, and slaughterhouses.
Use the C&D Action Plan
If animal transport vehicles are not cleaned and disinfected properly, ASF contaminants can be transferred to domestic pigs. This poses a significant risk to biosecurity in the Netherlands. Therefore, hygiene measures must be closely followed. The NVWA has created a C&D action plan for this purpose. With this action plan, transporters can thoroughly clean and disinfect their livestock transport vehicles and prevent the spread of the ASF virus. This also promotes the overall health of the animals.
Increased Inspections and Second C&D Requirement
Due to the threat of African Swine Fever, the NVWA has tightened inspections for compliance with the rules. There is also a second C&D obligation for transport vehicles of even-toed ungulates for Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and for all countries outside the European Union, i.e., third countries. For this, see our website.
More Information
For questions about this news article, journalists can contact the NVWAs Press Information team at (088) 22 33 700.
Consumers and businesses can contact our Customer Contact Center. For questions about this news article, journalists can also contact our press officers.