As African Swine Fever (ASF) continues to spread through Europe, Denmark is investing heavily in biosecurity to prevent the disease from entering the country.
«If ASF entered parts of Denmark it could cause a complete shutdown of pig production and processing activities in the affected area,» said Soren Sondergaard, Vice Chairman of SEGES Pig Research Centre, speaking to press at the Herning Congress Centre in Denmark.
This would have huge economic consequences but would be necessary to stop the spread.
To keep the risk of this happening to a minimum, part of Denmark’s strategy is the 15-18 million DKK investment in very strict truck washing.
Around 13 million pigs currently leave Denmark each year which equates to roughly 50 truckloads a day.
Many of these trucks enter countries or areas where ASF is present.
To monitor the trucks’ contact with these ASF infected areas, countries or specific areas with ASF outbreaks are listed as black zones. The eastern part of Poland, for example, is listed as a black zone.
«When trucks return from these areas they are thoroughly cleaned, disinfected and quarantined for seven days, meaning they cannot visit any other farms during this time,» Mr Sondergaard explained.
According to ThePigSite