African swine fever leaves nearly 200 Finnish farms without grain buyers

Nearly 200 farms in southeastern Finland are struggling to sell their grain after major buyers refused to accept crops harvested inside an African swine fever restriction zone, Yle reports.

The affected farms are in Miehikkälä, Virolahti and the southern part of Lappeenranta. Together, the farms cultivate about 10,500 hectares.

“Put bluntly, the infection zone has become a reserve for primary production. The crops currently in the fields and storage are unmarketable,” farmer Sampsa Husu of Ylämaa in Lappeenranta told Yle.

The Finnish Food Authority found African swine fever in wild boar in Virolahti, in the Kymenlaakso region, on July 30. Grain buyers initially rejected crops from the zone because the authority had said they could not be used as pig feed. The buyers wanted to prevent grain from the restriction zone from being mixed with other grain and ending up as feed. As a result, the grain was not accepted even for food use.

The Food Authority eased the restrictions on Friday. Grain and other crops may now be used to feed pigs if they are stored out of pigs’ reach for at least 30 days at temperatures above zero degrees Celsius before use.

However, Lantmännen Agro has not changed its purchasing restrictions. The grain would have to be stored in separate silos for 30 days, which is not possible for the affected farmers, said Milla Välisalo of the company’s grain division. Transport equipment operating in the infection zone would also have to be disinfected.

Fazer Mill’s grain purchases from the zone also remain suspended. The company said the Food Authority’s decision was recent and that it was still reviewing the details.

Farmer Juha Nurmi has about 350 hectares of fields in Ylämaa and Miehikkälä. He has started harvesting despite not knowing whether the grain will be usable.

“I am harvesting the crop now and putting it into storage. The future will show whether it can be used for anything or whether it will become fuel,” Nurmi told Yle.

Nurmi estimates that the crop currently in his fields is worth between 200,000 and 300,000 euros. He said he mainly wanted clearer information about whether the crop would ever reach the market.

The South Karelia and Kymenlaakso branch of the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners is demanding full compensation for all direct and indirect costs, as well as lost income, caused by the disease and efforts to contain it.

Husu said he would prefer compensation to a route to market for grain from the infection zone, such as separate storage that would allow the grain to be sold.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is not currently preparing a support package. Permanent Secretary Pekka Pesonen said it was too early to assess the total damage or possible compensation.

“At the moment, all efforts are focused on mapping the situation and containing it,” Pesonen said.