78,244 Pigs Culled in Serbia Since Start of African Swine Plague Epidemic

Pigs (BETAPHOTO/SASA DJORDJEVIC)

Since the start of the African swine plague epidemic in Serbia, 78,244 pigs have been culled, while the disease is sporadically present in eight districts, the veterinary inspection chief of the Veterinary Directorate, Ljiljana Ivanjac, stated on Jan. 24.

“The current situation in Serbia entails a sporadic appearance of African swine plague, unlike last year when the disease was present in our country in great intensity. We currently have eight districts, but with sporadic, numerically low-intensity presence of the disease on the farms,” Ivanjac stated.

Speaking at the National Convention dedicated to animal health and the safety and quality of food in Serbia in the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, she assessed that it was unfavorable for Serbia that the African swine plague was being detected in the region and that caution was necessary. “We already have the disease in wild boar in Montenegro and that takes us to a higher level of caution and we must be prepared for some new challenges, in new directions, to protect our borders and cooperate in the exchange of information,” Ivanjac said.

A representative of the U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Milos Jovanovic, pointed out that cooperation was necessary between the public and private sectors in preventing the spread of the African swine plague, which is a persistent disease that is hard to eradicate.