Electric fence against swine fever: dismantling due to flood risk!

In summer, an electric fence was built in the Mainz-Bingen district over a distance of around 30 kilometers near Oppenheim in order to curb the spread of the African swine plague (ASP). How the Rheinpfalz reported, this electric fence is temporarily dismantled due to the upcoming flood risk on the Rhine. This is intended to prevent animals from caught in the fence and dilapse. The dismantling concerns the banks of the Rhine from Worms to Ludwigshafen and the fence is rebuilt as soon as the flood risk is over.

In addition, a new electrical fence is planned to run along the B9 to the A6. This is intended to offer a permanent solution to prevent the spread of the ASP from the right bank of the Rhine. The administration of the Rhein-Palatinate district would like to keep the interference with nature and road traffic as low as possible.

new electrical fence for containing the ASP

The structure of an electrical fence to contain the African swine plague in Oppenheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, was already initiated in the summer. According to Zeit Online The first section of the fence from Oppenheim to Guntersblum extends with a planned extension to prevent the spread of infected wild boar. The fence will run east of the federal road 9 so that no streets have to be blocked.

Five confirmed cases of the African swine fever in wild boar in the district of Mainz-Bingen and in the neighboring district of Alzey-Worms are currently known. However, companies with domestic pigs have not yet been affected in Rhineland-Palatinate. It is planned to expand the fence along a railway line to Osthofen and in perspective to Worms. In addition, the Eich-Gimbsheimer Altrhein area, a nature conservation area, is also to be fenced. In total, more than 40 kilometers of an approximately 80 centimeter high electric fence are to be installed.

Before the start of the construction work, a 19,000 hectare area was searched using drones and carcass detection dogs. The drones with thermal imaging cameras fly especially at night to recognize warm animals. Support for the search also offer culverts, such as the Australia Shepherd bitch Pebbles. The construction of the fence is carried out by the company Kulturlandservice Mittelrhein (KLSM), which is able to install three to five kilometers of electric fence a day. The costs for the structure amount to 3300 euros per kilometer, while maintenance and repairs are covered by the ministry.