Five More Cases of African Swine Fever Provisionally Identified in Germany

Sep 21, 2020

A further five cases of African swine fever (ASF) are suspected in wild boar in the German state of Brandenburg, close to the border with Poland. This follows the discovery of ASF for the first time in Germany in a dead wild boar in a field of harvested crops in the state last week.

The five news cases were found in dead wild boar close to the first case, Brandenburg state health minister Ursula Nonnemacher told a committee of the state's parliament, Reuters reports. Initial tests were positive and tests are underway to confirm the additional cases at Germany's Friedrich-Loeffler scientific institute, she told the meeting.

On its website, the Brandenburg Government said measures to combat ASF were 'consistently implemented in the state of Brandenburg'.

"After all farmers and hunters have been informed of the situation and the core zone with a radius of at least three kilometers from where the infected wild boar carcass was found was completely fenced off with an electric fence on Saturday, the search for further dead wild boars is being carried out in a targeted manner. Outside of this, the hunting of wild boar is significantly intensified," it said today.

Measures in place

Restriction zones have been put in place around the infected area, including a core zone encompassing a radius of about 3 kilometres around the infected site, secured with an electric fence and with entry and harvest bans.

A second zone, the 'endangered area' has been set up with a 15km radius, with a further 30km buffer zone around it.

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Video: You Be The Judge: Evaluating 8 Breeding Rams!

It's time for some honest feedback here at Ewetopia Farms! Today, we’re showing you all eight rams we used for breeding this year. Instead of just presenting them, we thought it would be fun to create a “Ram Report Card” — where we point out both their strengths and areas for improvement.

But here’s the twist: you be the judge! In the comments, let us know what you like about each ram and what you think could be improved. No ram is ever perfect, but every one of them brings something valuable to the flock. By sharing perspectives, we all learn more about what to look for in good breeding stock.

At Ewetopia Farms, we raise registered Suffolk and Polled Dorset sheep, focusing on high-quality genetics, structure, and friendly temperaments. Evaluating breeding rams is part of the bigger picture of building stronger flocks — and we’re excited to share the process with you.

If you enjoy seeing how we evaluate our animals, follow along by subscribing to our channel. We share daily insights into the joys and challenges of sheep farming here in Canada.