Almost 1,000 square kilometers of land in Västmanland, Sweden, have been cordoned off in an effort to contain the spread of African swine fever. This has forced companies, associations, and mushroom pickers to halt their activities and wait for notification from the state.
Karl Hedin AB, a company with a turnover of over seven billion kroner and approximately 1,000 employees, owns about 20 percent of the land that has been blocked off. Karl Hedin himself is critical of the extensive restrictions, citing potential negative impacts on their sawmill production and overall destruction of the forest.
Expressing his concerns, Hedin highlights the size of the cordoned-off area, mentioning that it might have been possible to enclose a smaller area with the cooperation of landowners and those who have control over the wild boar population. However, no contact has been made with them regarding this issue.
To voice his criticism officially, Hedin has written a letter to the Swedish Agricultural Agency but is still awaiting a response. He also mentions that the lack of information on compensation for the affected businesses is worrying, particularly for small businesses that heavily rely on income from the area.
Amidst all of this, farmers in the region have also been dealing with flooding, creating a double whammy for their livelihoods. Farmer Robin Pettersson in Fagersta expresses his discouragement about the situation.
As of now, there is no news of whether the affected traders will receive any financial compensation for their losses. This lack of clarity adds to the concerns and anxieties of those affected, who are unable to sustain their businesses for an extended period of time without income.
Currently, there have been seven confirmed cases of swine fever in the region, with the first infected wild boar discovered in Norberg.