Finland prepares to deploy conscripts against African swine fever

Finland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has reached a preliminary agreement with the Defence Forces to use conscripts in efforts to contain African swine fever in southeastern Finland, Yle reports.

Conscripts could search for wild boar and monitor restricted areas if the disease spreads further, ministry permanent secretary Pekka Pesonen told Yle.

“If we need more people for containment work or traffic monitoring, we can get assistance from the Defence Forces,” Pesonen said.

No assistance has yet been requested because hunters have been carrying out the work effectively. Conscripts would need several days of training before taking part. Professionals would probably continue to collect carcasses and take samples.

The authorities have not yet decided which garrisons conscripts would come from or how many might be needed.

Disease has not spread to farmed animals

African swine fever was first detected in Finland at the end of July, after the carcasses of wild boar piglets were found in southeastern Finland. Since then, more than ten wild boar that died from the disease have been found.

A core zone has been established in Virolahti, where walking in the forest, berry picking and mushroom gathering are prohibited. A wider infected zone covers the municipalities of Virolahti and Miehikkälä, as well as the southern part of Lappeenranta.

The disease has not spread to farmed animals and poses no danger to consumers. It is, however, highly dangerous to pigs, with almost all infected animals dying. Farms in the restricted zone have about 300 pigs.

Under Finnish law, the state pays compensation only for farmed animals that are culled because of the disease. The ministry is assessing whether additional compensation may be needed, following a model used in Sweden, where an outbreak a few years ago led to about 13.8 million euros in compensation, most of it for wages and other direct costs.

Grain storage poses challenges

Precautionary measures have made grain storage difficult for many farms. Grain must be stored above zero degrees Celsius for 30 days before use so that possible pathogens die, but some farms may not have enough storage space.

The Finnish Food Authority says crops grown in the restricted zone can be used as feed for farmed animals if hygiene requirements are followed. Pesonen said grain products from the protection zone would probably not be used as pig feed.

Pork products from the restricted zone are not exported, but they can be sold as food domestically because pig farms in the protection zone are disease-free.