African swine fever - wild boars in Germany are expected to die
The pork industry is booming - and not just in Germany, but also in many other countries. In 2016, around 800,000 tonnes of pork and by-products were exported. So it is no wonder that the feral pigs allegedly contaminated with African swine fever are a thorn in the side of farmers.
In the last hunting season, 600,000 wild boars have already lost their lives in Germany and that's not all: the German Farmers' Association is calling for the wild boar population to be reduced by 70%! In some federal states, there is even already a premium per wild boar shot.
Because wild boar can transmit the African swine fever pathogen. If this were to spread to the pigs in the fattening facilities, all the animals would have to be killed. This represents enormous losses for agriculture.Humans alone are to blame for the disease, not the pigs. This is because African swine fever is a problem of factory farming. The resistant germs can only spread so quickly due to factory farming.
The fact that wild boars are not the main risk for transmission is ignored. Wild boars usually live in a specific area. Furthermore, they would not be able to spread the pathogens in the event of an infection, as the disease renders the pigs immobile and the high fever quickly leads to death.
The greater risk is that the disease is brought to Germany by travellers, seasonal workers or truck drivers. Imported food can also be contaminated with swine fever. Food leftovers that are not disposed of properly at motorway service areas can be eaten by wild boars, allowing the germs to enter the animals' organisms.
This clearly shows that it is not the wild boars that are the problem, but - as is so often the case - factory farming. It is not only the farm animals in the fattening facilities that suffer and die early, but this also has negative consequences for many other animals.
You can help too: Because a vegan diet reduces these mass killings and ensures respectful treatment of animals.
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