What you need to know about African swine fever

In the surveillance zone of the emergency situation of African swine fever (ASF), the entire territory of Rezekne is already located, so that everyone must be involved in limiting the spread of the disease.

FOR DOMESTIC PIG HOLDERS:

• Register animals in the Agricultural Data Centre (LDC) database! In the case of animal diseases, compensation will only be granted for registered pigs!
• PVD inspectors will check on the health of domestic pigs during inspections on your farm and will take tests for laboratory tests.
• To prevent a pig holding from being at risk, follow the biosecurity measures:

> pigs are allowed only for self-consumption, informing the veterinarian. It is prohibited to leave the harvested meat outside the farm!
> hold the pigs inside! Do not allow it to contact the woodpigeons!
> Move pig movements with PVD!
> disinfect road transport and other equipment used to transfer farmed animals or potentially contaminated materials (animal feed, manure, slurry, litter)!
> Do not use hunting clothes, footwear and equipment when going to clean and feed pigs! Wash your hands regularly!
> do not feed the meat residues of wild boar, slaughtered domestic pigs, and kitchen waste, slaughtered for pigs and other domestic animals!
• To prevent a pig holding from being at risk, do not let the outsiders.
> do not allow a pet dog, dogs, cats, to enter a barn!
> Place disinfectants at the entrance.
> Do not discard dead animals in the forest!
• For litter, use material that cannot come or have been in contact with forest pigs!
> follow the health of the pigs and inform the veterinarian immediately if the pigs look unhealthy or have died!

FOR RESIDENTS:

• Protect the holding, parish and pig holding holdings from diseases:

> When entering Latvia from third countries, do not bring food products from animal origin: meat and meat products, milk and dairy products! They will be confiscated and transferred to destroy!
> do not take pork and its products from the emergency territory!
> In the case of an emergency situation, do not import any meat of unknown origin unless it is possible to prove its origin (the meat must be in the original packaging, with an accompanying purchase check)!
> If you visit a farm where domestic pigs are kept, do not go to the barn!
> do not place any farmed animals in the quarantine area of THE PVD.
if you go to the forest to berry or wheeling, or visit the tourist sites, do not leave the garbage or other food waste in the forest or the roadside!
> after moulding, owning or walking through the forest, clean and replace clothing and footwear!
if you have gone to and from the forest with a bicycle or car when you return home, rinse the wheels of the vehicle with water!
> buy meat and meat products only in legal trade places!

FOR HUNTERS:

• Inform THE FVD and the National Forest Service (VMD) about the hunted forest pig.
• Do not use hunting dogs during hunting to prevent the movement of wild pigs!
• To find dead forest pigs immediately contact PVD to remove samples for laboratory examination!
• Do not carry out pretreatment and storage at farm animals.
• Do not leave the animal by-products in the forest: the internal organs and the skin of the animals!
• Do not feed animal by-products and residues for domestic animals!
• Wash and disinfect hunting equipment, footwear, clothing and car transport!
• Use only heat-treated forest pork meat in food.
• Do not remove farmed pig meat and meat products from the declared emergency territory.

THE DISEASE IS NOT DANGEROUS TO HUMANS AND OTHER SPECIES OF ANIMALS!

Tell your neighbours, colleagues, friends, and guests about this information.
What is biosafety in pig holdings and which must be complied with in order to protect porcine holdings from African swine fever in the quarantine area?
Biological safety is a package of measures whereby animal keepers can protect their animals from communicable diseases and minimise the spread of infectious diseases in the surrounding area.
Pig keepers whose holdings are located IN AN ASF quarantine area shall implement and provide biosecurity measures by 31 July of that year:

• Pigs must be kept in closed holdings where they can be fenced to prevent the contact of domestic animals with wild or strawberry animals! Pigs must not be kept in an outdoor enclosure!
• Regular cleaning, disinfection, not rodents and insects should be carried out on the pig holding. A pig keeper shall be responsible for ensuring the necessary measures, including the purchase of disinfectants and the destruction of rodents.
• Manure must be collected and stored at places where they do not flow into the surrounding environment!
• Prevent the access of non-attached persons, stray and wild animals to the place of holding of animals.
• The number of visitors should be reduced to a minimum, the registration of visitors should be carried out. In cases where visitors are admitted, they must be provided with disposable protective clothing and protective pads.
• Decocarpets shall be placed at the entrance to the entrance, but at the site of the site of the inlet the decorators!
• There must be a place for the separation of sick or suspect animals from healthy animals.
• Place where animal by-products (dead animals, offal) are to be stored! It may be a separate room, container, freezer or watertight container/receptacle, depending on the number of animals in the holding and the quantity of animal by-products obtained. The site must be as close as possible to the entrance of the holding and such that non-attached persons, wild animals, birds and rodents can be accessed.
• The place where the animal feed is kept must be clean! It should be followed that rodents do not multiply there.
• The holding, all workers employed in it, must comply with the rules and hygiene of the internal procedure: in the case of pig care, protective clothing and protective footwear which can only be used in the holding of animals must be used!
• Only vehicles belonging to the holding are permitted to move in the territory of the holding, with the exception of the transport of feed and the collection of animal by-products.

In accordance with the Minister's Cabinet order, the biosecurity measures referred to by the local pig keepers shall be provided by 31 July 2014. If they are not secured, the slaughter of all pigs in the holding should be carried out by 31 August 2014. Before slaughter, the animal owner must inform THE PVD inspector who will remove blood samples for laboratory examination and carry out the clinical investigation of the animal. After receiving the results of negative laboratory tests, the inspection of the pig ante-mortem inspection shall be carried out after the slaughter of the pigs after slaughter. After the slaughter of all pigs, the animal owner shall sign a commitment to keep pigs in his holding and receive compensation for the pigs slaughtered (in the agricultural data centre).

The answers to questions of interest to the introduction of biosecurity measures in each particular holding will be provided by THE PVD specialists.

Contact:

• PVD PSC “hot phone” – 20260400 every day from 8:00 to p.m. 21:00
• Website: www.pvd.gov.lv, you can ask questions in the “Discussions” section
• PVD North Latgale Administration, Liep Street 33, Rezekne, LV-4600, tel. 64622160, 64622177, e-mail: ziemellatgale@pvd.gov.lv