The European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE), and the European Commission organized a high-level conference on the subject "Preparing European hunters to eradicate African swine fever" at the “Jagd und Hund” fair in Dortmund, Germany. The conference was attended by hunting community experts, scientists, the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), national authorities and key stakeholders from the sectors. agriculture and pork from the EU. All stakeholders attending the conference expressed deep concern over the dissemination of the African swine fever in Europe. There is currently no known treatment or vaccination to counter the outbreak despite a substantial amount of research. Although the disease does not affect humans, it can impact all aspects of hunting and hunting wildlife management affected by the disease.
This is evident from Eastern Europe and the Baltic states as well as Belgium, where it is causing a wide range of problems for farmers, hunters, wildlife managers and the multi-billion-euro meat industry. In front of a large audience, FACE President Mr. Torbjörn Larsson opened the conference by stating: "Hunters are the eyes and ears of wild nature and they have a key role to play in eradicating African swine fever but we must be adequately equipped to tackle the disease problem in the most effective way. We have a lot of experience to offer and the authorities and other decision makers should ensure that we are a key part of the debate at every level. "
The European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, expressed his support at the highest level of the European Commission, although he was unable to attend the event due to unavoidable commitments. Through a video message, he acknowledged that the ASF represents an extreme challenge and stated that the control and eradication of African swine fever is a high priority for the EU due to the serious risk it could lead to an important economic sector, wild boar populations and the environment. Commissioner Andriukaitis also stressed that it is imperative that every single hunter be aware of and pay attention to the ease with which the disease can spread. He concluded that: "Hunters are in a unique position to make a difference and determine the outcome of these battles for better or for worse as they can contribute to increasing or reducing the spread of the disease: their role is crucial in this battle ”. Julia Klöckner, Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, who attended the conference by video, acknowledged the enormous threat of African swine fever, particularly for the large economic sectors.
He added that the hunting sector understands the need for cross-border cooperation and the need for effective awareness-raising measures. Among the speakers, representatives of institutions such as the European Commission, the European Authority for the Food safety, the World Organization for Animal Health, experts from the hunting community and the agricultural sector. Everyone shared their knowledge and presented their experiences on best practices in the elimination of African swine fever. Recommendations are currently being finalized and will be promoted across Europe. Hartwig Fischer, President of the Deutscher Jagdverband, and Karl-Heinz Florenz, President of the Intergroup "Biodiversity, Hunting, Rural Activities" of the European Parliament also gave their views on the preparation of European hunters to eradicate African swine fever.