There is a great mobilization in the area of ​​Serres after the appearance and confirmation of a case of African swine fever in a wild boar in the Municipality of Visaltia.

The efforts of the involved services are focused on preventing the spread of the disease and the occurrence of outbreaks in pig farms.

The deputy governor of the Agricultural Economy, Giorgos Kefalas, speaking to APE-MPE, pointed out that the positive thing is that it is not an animal-human disease, therefore there is no risk to public health, while the case did not occur in a pig breeding facility because otherwise all its animals would have to be killed.

On the other hand, as he pointed out, wild boars move uncontrollably and they can even travel thirty kilometers in a day. This is why the relevant agencies are making every effort to limit the problem locally. “Everyone is aware of the situation. Pig farms take the matter very seriously and observe all measures because they are afraid of expansion. On the other hand, in neighboring Bulgaria, the country’s pig farming was destroyed,” said Mr. Kefalas. He added that veterinary staff are employed exclusively to record and treat the disease and underlined that with the cross-checks that are carried out, there is no way that meat from an animal with a case could enter the food chain.

For his part, the deputy governor of Serron Panagiotis Spyropoulos told APE-MPE that the case of the African plague it was found in a wild boar, in a mountainous area and at a distance of one kilometer from the village of Lagadi in the Municipality of Visaltia. “The village has less than a hundred inhabitants and there are no organized pig farming units. In two or three cases residents have pigs for their own use, all of which have been checked and isolated,” he added.