These were the first cases in this part of the country to be confirmed by state food and veterinary authorities. This year 72 wild boar in twenty various counties of ten different districts in Latgale and Vidzeme have been confirmed.
The Food and Veterinary Service is urging all farmers to observe strict biosafety measures to protect farm animals from contracting the disease and to limit the spread of the disease.
Despite the lifting of last year’s state-of-emergency involving mandatory sanitary or culling measures enforced by the Food and Veterinary Service (PVD) inspectors backed up by the State Police, the disease continues to spread in Vidzeme province’s wild boar population. Territories hit by African swine fever have been applied with transport restrictions on live pigs and pork products until December 31, 2018.
The PVD believes that Belarus isn’t disclosing the true scope of the problem inside its own pork industry and wild boar population. Even if Latvia can beat the spread of the disease, which is debilitating and deadly to domestic pigs and wild boar alike, though not to humans, the veterinary health officials think the external risks will remain.
