Just in:
Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Wed, 27 Mar 2024 // AI Boost for Galaxy Devices: Samsung Expands One UI 6.1 Update // Hullabaloo About Electoral Bonds May End Up As A Whimper Pre And Post Poll // Near Miss at Kolkata Airport: IndiGo Plane Makes Contact with Stationary Air India Express // Lisboeta Macau’s world first LINE FRIENDS PRESENTS CASA DE AMIGO and BROWN & FRIENDS CAFE & BISTRO has officially opened // Study: Stainless steel circular economy significantly reduces the risk of climate change in Thailand // Hope for Respite as UAE Endorses UN Plea for Gaza Truce // Hong Kong Seen Granting Mainland Investors Access to Crypto via ETFs // AIA Hong Kong Wins More Than 20 Accolades at MPF Ratings MPF Awards, BENCHMARK MPF of The Year Awards and Bloomberg Businessweek Top Fund Awards // Superland Announced Annual Results for 2023, 2023 Net Profit Increased approximately 39.5% to approximately HK$22.2 million as Compared to the 2022 Adjusted One // 2024 Lok Sabha Election Is A Historic Battle Against The Advent Of Fascism In India // Sunshine’s Debut Features Leave Tech World Scratching Its Head // Konica Minolta is named ASEAN 2023 Market Leader in Colour Light and Mid Digital Production Printers // Employer Obligations Tighten: 30-Day Deadline for Emirati Employee Registration with GPSSA // Ajman Celebrates Conclusion of Ramadan Activities with Grand Ceremony // Arvind Kejriwal Was Used By BJP In 2011 Movement To Take On The Congress // Meta Earth Official Website Launch: The Pioneer Explorer in the Modular Public Blockchain Domain // Emirates Post Speeds Up Deliveries for GCC with Special Day // Court Sides with Coinbase on Wallet Service, But Staking Program Remains in Limbo // Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology //
HomeAsian News by Media-OutreachThis Is The First Step Towards A Full ASF-Free Status – European Commission Ratifies: Belgium May Reduce the ASF-Infected Zone

This Is The First Step Towards A Full ASF-Free Status – European Commission Ratifies: Belgium May Reduce the ASF-Infected Zone

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM – Media OutReach – June 12, 2020 – On May 18th, the European Commission ratified
Belgium’s proposal to reduce the ASF-infected zone in the province of
Luxemburg. This zone, in which African Swine Fever was detected only in wild
boar, was successfully installed by Belgian authorities to prevent the
contamination of domestic pigs. “The reduction of the zone is a positive signal
towards countries that have suspended the import of Belgian pork,” says Denis
Ducarme, Belgian Minister of Agriculture.

 

Immediately after the detection of African Swine
Fever in two wild boards, on 13 September 2018, the FASFC (Belgium’s Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food
Chain
), demarcated an “infected
zone” and a “buffer zone”, in consultation with the European Commission and
ministers. The few domestic pigs in the initial infection zone were
preventively eradicated between 27 September and 3 October 2018. The products
of these pigs did not enter the food chain and were not used in the feed
industry.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

RECOGNITION OF PROVEN
EFFECTIVENESS

Within the infected zone, a series of control
measures were quickly put in place:

  • zoning,
  • carcass removal,
  • a complete feeding ban,
  • specific hunting regulations and depopulation actions depending on
    the zone, leading to almost no wild boar left within zone II,
  • a partial ban of people and logging, and
  • more than 300 km of concentric placed fences.

Outside the zones and in the domestic herd, an
active surveillance has been maintained. The measures have proven effective to
keep ASF inside the affected zone. The last ASF-positive test on a fresh
carcass of a dead boar, found within the zone, goes back to 11 August 2019. On
6 occasions after that date, ASF was found on the remains (bones) of wild boar
that died several months before their discovery.

So, one year after ASF was first detected in
Belgium, the measures have stopped the spread of the disease. This observation
is backed by the ongoing, intensive search.

REDUCTION OF THE INFECTED ZONE

The reduction (shaded) concerns a part of the
“infected zone” (zone II) within the “buffer zone” (zone I), a zone in which no
infected animals have been detected since 17 February 2019.

 

ONGOING SEARCH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE ZONES
AND ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE IN THE DOMESTIC HERD PAVE THE WAY TOWARDS A FULL THE
ASF-FREE STATUS

Ever since the first wild boar tested ASF-positive, Belgium
has succeeded in keeping domestic pigs and wild pigs kept in captivity free of
ASF contamination. If no infected boar is detected, Belgium could regain its
ASF-free status for all porcine animals in the Autumn of 2020. Denis Ducarme,
Belgian Minister of Agriculture: “We must remain vigilant to give back our
country its ASF-free status. This would lead to the abolishment of the last
embargoes on the export of our pork.”

 

All this time, Belgian pork remained virus-free
and suitable for consumption and export. Therefore, trade of Belgian pork
remained free in the European Union. However, some third countries suspended
the import of Belgian pork. The ratification by the European Commission is an
important step towards the re-opening of these markets. For all latest details
on the measures taken and on the current situation in Belgium: www.fasfc.be/outbreaks-african-swine-fever


About Belgian Meat Office

Belgian Meat Office coordinates pork and beef export activities. The meat export agency was founded in 2003 under the Flanders’ Agricultural Marketing Board (VLAM) umbrella.
More Info

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT
Just in:
Emirates Post Speeds Up Deliveries for GCC with Special Day // In Lok Sabha Polls In Punjab, AAP Is Advantageously Placed As Against Its Three Rivals // Experts come together to support updating the city’s nature conservation masterplan // Ajman Celebrates Conclusion of Ramadan Activities with Grand Ceremony // Study: Stainless steel circular economy significantly reduces the risk of climate change in Thailand // Universal Language for Healthcare: General Authority Embraces Global Coding System // Hope for Respite as UAE Endorses UN Plea for Gaza Truce // Sharpening the Focus: Sharjah Health Department Refines Evaluation Criteria for “Healthy Schools Programme” // Arvind Kejriwal Gets International Heft Against The Deshi Vishwaguru // AI Boost for Galaxy Devices: Samsung Expands One UI 6.1 Update // Superland Announced Annual Results for 2023, 2023 Net Profit Increased approximately 39.5% to approximately HK$22.2 million as Compared to the 2022 Adjusted One // Near Miss at Kolkata Airport: IndiGo Plane Makes Contact with Stationary Air India Express // Sunshine’s Debut Features Leave Tech World Scratching Its Head // Hong Kong Seen Granting Mainland Investors Access to Crypto via ETFs // Court Sides with Coinbase on Wallet Service, But Staking Program Remains in Limbo // Renewables Surge Sets Record, But Global Equity Lags // Konica Minolta is named ASEAN 2023 Market Leader in Colour Light and Mid Digital Production Printers // Employer Obligations Tighten: 30-Day Deadline for Emirati Employee Registration with GPSSA // Meta Earth Official Website Launch: The Pioneer Explorer in the Modular Public Blockchain Domain // HSBC Streamlines Gold Investment for Hong Kong Residents with Tokenized Product //