Regional African Swine Fever (ASF) Wild Boar Management Workshop

Belgrade, Serbia, 21-23 May 2019

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Venue: TBC

Language: English/Serbian

Background:

African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious viral disease of pigs and wild boar that causes severe economic losses to the pig sector. Originally restricted to Africa, ASF was introduced into Georgia in 2007, from where it progressively spread westwards (reaching Eastern and Central Europe) and eastwards. The disease was reported in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania in 2018, seriously threatening the Balkans. Based on experience, in Europe, the wild boar plays a crucial role in the maintenance and the spread of the disease.

In order to enhance awareness and technical knowledge on the management of the disease in wild boar populations, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with the financial support of the Czech Republic, is organizing a Regional ASF Wild Boar Management Workshop. The objective of the workshop is to bring together experts from the Czech Republic along with other country experts and wild boar specialist to discuss and share practical knowledge about ASF and the specific surveillance, prevention and control measures in wild boar populations.

Participants

The workshop will bring together participants from the Balkan region including veterinary specialists (from state veterinary services), representatives from forestry agencies (or agency in charge of wild boar management, hunting, etc.), representatives from hunting associations, and experts in wild boar biology or related fields.

Furthermore, participants from countries with experience in the management of ASF (Georgia, Russian Federation and Ukraine) will also attend the event along with international agencies (OIE and EFSA)

Objective

The workshop will allow Balkan Countries, with the aid of experts, to improve their knowledge and discuss in an open forum the most challenging issues faced when it comes to ASF prevention and control in wild boar and the best strategies to tackle them in the specific context of the Balkans.

The workshop will have both a theoretical part focusing on presentations and open discussion, and a practical part focusing on sampling and biosecurity at a hunting ground.

21 May, Tuesday

Time

Action

Introductions

8:30

Welcome and Opening

Introduction of the workshop agenda and participants

8:45

FAO activities on ASF (Daniel Beltran-Alcrudo, DBA, Food and Agriculture Organization)

9:15

Activities of EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)

9:30

Activities of ENETWILD (Karolina Petrović, Mammal Research Institute Polish Academy of Sciences)

Setting the scene

10:00

ASF – current situation in Europe (Mark Hovari, MH, FAO)

10:30

Coffee break

11.00

Epidemiology of ASF (DBA, FAO)

11:30

Strategy of the European Union on wild boar (Marius Masiulis, MM, FAO)

12:00

The ASF virus persistence in the environment and use of disinfectants in veterinary and agricultural practice (Jana Prodělalová, Veterinary Research Institute)

12:30

Lunch

Situation in at risk countries

13:30

Country presentations on ASF and wild boar populations and management 1 based on the provided template (15 min per country) Part I

14:15

Questions and answers

14:30

Country presentations on ASF and wild boar populations and management 1 based on the provided template (15 min per country) Part II

15:15

Questions and answers

15:30

Coffee break

16:00

Round table discussion on ASF in wild boar

17:30

Closure of the day

Evening

Social dinner

22 May, Wednesday

Time

Action

8:30

Morning welcome and summary of first day

8:45

Activities of OIE (Budimir Plavsic, World Organization for Animal Health)

Experience from infected countries

9:00

ASF experience in Georgia – focus on wild boar (Otar Parkadze, Georgia)

9:15

ASF experience in the Russian Federation – focus on wild boar (Nikita Lebedev, Russian Federation)

9:30

ASF experience in Ukraine – focus on wild boar (Alexander Revnivtsev, Ukraine)

9:50

ASF experience in Hungary – focus on wild boar (MH, FAO)

10:10

ASF experience in Lithuania – focus on wild boar (MM, FAO)

10:30

Coffee break

Experience from countries who regained freedom

11:00

ASF in the Czech Republic: management experience and lessons learnt (Petr Vaclavek, PV, State Veterinary Institute)

11:50

Sampling and laboratory diagnostics of ASF in the Czech Republic (PV, SVI)

12:15

Questions and answers

12:30

Lunch

Surveillance for ASF in wild boar

13:20

Wild boar biology / ecology: (MM, FAO)

13:45

Wild boar: population estimation and searching for wild boar carcasses (J. Cukor, JC, Forest and Game management research institute)

14:30

Alternative sampling and diagnostic tools facing the challenge of wild boar carcasses (Laura Zani, LZ, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut)

Management tools available to prevent spread of ASF

14:45

Can fences stop wild boar movement across the landscape (Carme Rosell, Minuartia)

15:30

Coffee break

16:00

Different hunting strategies (MM, FAO)

16:30

Joint discussion on baiting and supplementary feeding (MH, MM, FAO)

17:00

Preventing transmission of ASF between domestic and wild (LZ, FLI)

17:30

Questions and answers

18:00

Closure of the day

23 May, Thursday

Time

Action

Practical – Hunting biosecurity, sampling and exercise

7:30

Departure from Hotel, traveling to the hunting ground Karakusa

9:00

Before sampling (MM, FAO)

Presentation of the hunting ground including all the wild boar management related activities.

How to organize a hunting lodge in terms of biosecurity

Going to hunt and transport of the wild boar to the dressing facility

Sampling (MM, FAO)

How to handle the wild boar in the dressing facility

Sampling and collecting appropriate data

Management of samples, storage, dispatching to the Vet Service or laboratory Safe disposal of offal

After sampling (MM, FAO)

How to leave the dressing area, classing and disinfection of dressing tools Storage of animals while waiting ASF laboratory diagnosis

11:00

Coffee break

11:30

ASF and wild boar meat and meat products – Hungarian experience (MH, FAO)

12:00

Official checks of the hunting grounds, examples and discussion (MH, MM, FAO)

12:30

Lunch

Exercise

13:30

Joint exercise (MH, FAO)

14:45

Presentation of exercise outcomes

15:30

Coffee break

Conclusions

16:00

Recommendations to the at risk countries

17:00

Closing of the workshop

17:30

Traveling back to Hotel

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