On Wednesday, the Government approved the proposal of Minister of the Interior Dailis Alfonsas Barakauskas on introduction of the state of emergency in these districts.
The plan on the control of wild boar population submitted by the Ministry of Environment was approved as well.
Operations related to the state of emergency will be headed by Jonas Milius, Director of the State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT).
The Ministry of Environment has already forbidden feeding animals within the zone of 10 kilometres from the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. Hunters are already instructed to reduce wild boar population; however, soon these requirements will be strengthened: a requisite number of hunted wild boars will be set for users of hunting areas.
"There is no legal framework for now, but we are beginning to draft it," said Minister of Environment Valentinas Mazuronis on Wednesday.
Municipalities, on which the state of emergency is imposed, and the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the VMVT will have to urgently coordinate and validate permissive sites for utilization (incineration) and disinfection of vehicles. The VMVT is also instructed to repeatedly address to the European Commission over financing possibilities to set a physical barrier preventing wild animal migration on the border with Belarus.
"At present, local financial reserves are used. () How much it will cost, it is difficult to say, yet negotiations with the four experts of the Commission are taking place," said Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius at a press conference.
Meanwhile, according to Milius, Director of the VMVT, to control the disease, excluding payments for hunted wild boars, LTL 7 million (EUR 2 million) are necessary.
Wild boar population in Lithuania at present accounts for 30,000, it will have to be reduced by 90%, while in areas, infected by the African swine fever, no wild boars should remain at all. It is planned to reach this aim within a year.
