Over 25,000 animals were euthanised in Bosnia and Herzegovina to date due to the African swine fever, only in the northeastern town of Bijeljina 18,000, after the disease was detected in Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 21 this year.

A meeting discussing the issue was held on Thursday in the northern city of Orasje, the seat of the Posavina Canton, and it gathered the representatives of the Veterinary Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pavo Radic and Aleksandar Nemet, the Cantonal Minister of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry Mato Brkic and his colleagues, and the representative of the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs and Veterinarians from the Posavina Canton

As emphasised, African swine fever appeared in Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 21 this year and is spreading very quickly.

“In Bosnia and Herzegovina, we implemented measures prescribed by law, banning the import of live animals and products of animal origin from that category of animals from countries where the disease appeared, but we were aware that the virus would appear. The only way to fight this disease is to raise people's awareness and take great bio-security measures. Pigs should be kept in strictly closed facilities with a high degree of biosecurity,” said Radic, deputy head of the BiH Veterinary Office.

He added that the Government of Posavina Canton, led by the president and the relevant minister, reacted on time and adequately responded to the disease.

“All hotspots of disease spread have been resolved, and 197 pigs have been euthanized so far, and I hope that the spread in this canton will be prevented. We as a profession, as veterinary doctors, hope that science will win, that we will have a vaccine and stop the disease,” said Radic.