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In a field in Kornsjø in Halden, there are clear traces of wild boar. Today, trapping for wild boar is prohibited, but will now be tested in eastern Norway.
The traps catch the wild boar and lock the animal inside.
– When I see this, I think animal welfare is taken care of, says Agriculture Minister Olaug Bollestad (KrF).
She was present when one of the traps to be released was demonstrated near the Swedish border on Tuesday. She says they fear wild boars transmit disease to Norwegian domestic animals.
DOES NOT BELONG TO NORWAY: Minister of Food and Agriculture Olaug Bollestad believes that wild boar does not belong to Norway.
Photo: Tomas Berger / NRK
– I think these are animals that do not belong to the Norwegian fauna. We must both take care of animal welfare when we take them out, but we must also take care of the animal welfare of domestic animals in our country and we are afraid of diseases that may accompany wild boar.
Wild boar can be a carrier of African swine fever, which is highly contagious and deadly. The disease can be transmitted to Norwegian pig herds.
The disease was detected in wild boars in Germany in September. It has also been tested in Belgium and Poland, among other places.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, an outbreak of swine fever will have major consequences in Norway.
In 2019, an action plan emerged from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Norwegian Environment Agency. The goal of the plan is to have as few wild boars as possible in the smallest area possible.
Wild boar is considered an exotic species in Norway.
SHOW THE TRAP: Norskog forestry and field consultant Maximilian M. Zimmermann shows the trap that has been set at Østfold.
Photo: Tomas Berger / NRK
Large marked increase
Farmer Jan Roger Eriksen has noticed a large increase in wild boar numbers in the last year. He believes that action is urgently required to keep Norway’s population low.
– They do great damage to the infield and especially to the cornfields. And then we see from year to year that there are more and more wild boars. So the injuries are getting bigger every year and there have been significantly bigger injuries this year than last year, he says.
It says that wild boar can have significant consequences for your operations.
DESTROYING INNMARK: Halden farmer Jan Roger Eriksen says wild boar has major consequences for cornfields.
Photo: Tomas Berger / NRK
– If you continue, it can be really difficult to operate grain in such areas.
Farmers fear that livestock will be infected with swine fever.
– It is clear that the Norwegian swine industry is terrified of swine fever. So that is perhaps what he fears the most.
– Fewer wild boars in Norway
It is the Wild Boar project that has requested permission to test the traps. The Norwegian Farmers Association, Glommen Mjøsen Skog SA, Norskog and the Outfield Department of Akershus and Østfold started the project in the fall of 2019.
– We must kill more than two thirds of the population so that there are fewer wild boars. So we have requested permission to test a boar trap, because we believe it is necessary, in addition to hunting, to be able to get enough wild boar, says project leader Finn Erlend Ødegård.
In Norway, feeding wild boar is prohibited. Ødegård believes that this is an advantage so that the population does not increase even faster.
PERMISSION APPLICATION: Wild Boar project leader Finn Erlend Ødegård says it is important that traps are tested.
Photo: Tomas Berger / NRK
He says that now they will gain experience with these types of traps and how they work to be able to get the wild boar out in a good way.
– The aim is that we have as few wild boars as possible in Norway, in as few areas as possible. And we believe that the most important measure to achieve this is for owners to cooperate and make a plan on how to reduce stocks.
