More than 1300 pigs were culled on a farm in the Masovian Voivodeship. Farmers are asked to comply with biosafety requirements.

An outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) has been confirmed in the village of Gumowo, Voivodeship Mazowieckie, Poland. The disease affected a herd of 1320 pigs, according to Farmer magazine.

Pigs were rejected, and farm materials that might have been contaminated will be transferred to first category waste processing plants in police-protected vehicles.

The area is recognized as a “red zone” due to the large number of ASF cases in the wild boar population. To date, 1383 cases of ASF in wild pigs have been reported in the area.

“I ask farmers to follow biosafety principles. If you suspect a disease, you should refrain from moving animals, manure, slurry, feed, animal by-products that might be infected with the virus from the farm.

Everything should be left in place and first of all informed about a suspected illness, ”explained the veterinarian in the region, Mariusz Dobos. Farmers who do not comply with biosafety requirements may lose the right to receive compensation for their loss, according to Polish law.

This week, the European Commission has asked EU member states to collaborate on biosafety issues to prevent the spread of the disease on the continent.

Belgium, Hungary, and the Czech Republic were cited as examples of controlling the spread of the virus from domestic pigs on farms. To date, the Czech Republic has been the only country declared free from ASF after one year without outbreaks among wild boars.