Updated 15:56 | Published at 3:49 p.m
All domestic pigs in the infected zone in Västmanland must be euthanized, says Jordbruksverket’s chief director Jan Cedervärn at a press conference in Fagersta.
It is about 50 pigs in the area that are to be euthanized, according to the Swedish Board of Agriculture. Most of them are fattening pigs.
– We have made the decision that the herds of domestic pigs that are within the infected zone will have to be euthanized. It is a decision that has been taken to avoid the risk of introducing infection into a herd of domestic pigs, which could have devastating consequences. We are aware that the restrictions and this decision are very invasive for many people, and for some it is a deep intervention, says Cedervärn.
Minister of Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren (KD) says at the press conference that there are “regulations for compensation” for farmers who need to euthanize their animals.
– It is a necessary decision and of course it is something that affects the farmers who have herds of pigs in this area, and I deeply regret that they have to kill their animals. In such situations, there are of course regulations regarding compensation for them, says Kullgren.
– Otherwise, I have received many questions about compensation, and I am also looking at a wider range of what is possibly possible, we will come back to that.