There have been reports that Polish Agriculture Minister Stanislaw Kalemba has declared that he will step down from office over the handling of African Swine fever in the country.

Although, to date, ASF has only been found in wild boar populations in Poland, farmers in regions where the disease has been detected have been prevented from selling their animals in a bid to prevent the further spread of the feared virus.

In Poland, 400,000 pigs have been held in a 'buffer zone' for over three weeks, in an effort to control ASF. The government last week announced a buy-out initiative, which will see producers reimbursed and the costs shared by the EU and Polish authorities.

However, according to news agency Reuters, farming minister Kalemba announced his resignation over problems associated with the compensation agreements. He told reporters in Warsaw that the decision came about as a result of a perceived lack of government action on ASF.