Denmark Defends Against Swine Flu with 70-Kilometer Fence on German Border

Denmark announced on Thursday that it will build a 70-kilometer long fence on the German border to protect against wild boars that can transmit the deadly African swine fever infection to farms and threaten the pig farming industry in the country.

Although no cases have been reported in the country, the spread of the disease in Eastern Europe has raised concerns in a nation that earns $5.5 billion annually from pig exports.

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There is no vaccine

The virus that causes African swine fever is harmless to humans and other animals, but for wild boars and pig farms, the disease is deadly in almost all cases within 10 days. There is no vaccine against it.

If the disease were to break out in Denmark, all exports to non-European countries would be halted for some time, while for other EU member states, only exports from the affected area in Denmark would be blocked, the government said.

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The disease exists in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and has recently approached Denmark, according to government data.

An agreement on Thursday between the government and its ally, the Danish People’s Party, which together holds a parliamentary majority, also includes harsher penalties for illegal food imports and failures in properly cleaning vehicles for transporting animals.

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