Serbia to cull 11,000 pigs due to African swine fever, Tanjug reports

BELGRADE, July 9 (Reuters) – Serbian authorities have begun culling 11,000 pigs at a farm in the west of the country following an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), the Tanjug news agency reported on Wednesday, citing Agriculture Minister Dragan Glamocic.

The cull at the farm in the village of Hrtkovci is expected to take several days. Tanjug quoted Glamocic as saying the state would compensate the farm’s owners.

“The pigs are euthanised painlessly and then safely disposed of,” Glamocic was quoted as saying.

Serbia currently has several active ASF outbreaks.

Thousands of pigs have already been culled over the past two months in the western Macva region, which borders Bosnia and Croatia.

ASF does not pose a risk to humans, but it spreads rapidly among domestic pigs and wild boar.

(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic. Editing by Mark Potter)

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