Montenegro has reported its first official cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) on record, as the disease continues to cause difficulties around the world and disrupt the exportation of pork product.
The disease, which has been rapidly spreading across Europe since 2007, was reported in two wild boar carcasses found by hunters near Kovaci in the Nikšić region, according to reports from the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH).
See also: China pig slaughtering breaks records, after latest African swine fever outbreak
The agriculture ministry of Montenegro have said that no cases have yet been reported anywhere else in the country, and local pig farms are still infection-free for the moment.
They also called for local pig farmers in areas close to infection to immediately declare any changes in the health or death of their animals to veterinary authorities, as well as ensuring that biosecurity measures are fully applied to all areas of farms, reports SeeNews.
The carcasses were found 500 metres from the border of neighbouring country Bosnia & Herzegovina, who confirmed the arrival of ASF on 1 June last year.
Since then infection has been found across the country, with authorities reporting 47 cases infected wild boar and over 300 outbreaks found across domestic pig farms, according to Defra. The death toll of infected pigs and those that needed to be culled because of ASF presence has risen to over 60,000.
WOAH reports Montenegro as the 27th European country to report cases, as areas in the Balkans continue to see a rise in cases. 2019 saw Serbia become the first region to officially report cases, leading Montenegro and other countries to ban their pig and pork exports. North Macedonia then registered cases in 2022, and Croatia and Kosovo, alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina, saw ASF infection spread across their farms last year.
It comes as other countries around the world see difficulties arising from ASF, with China reporting record-breaking slaughtering records in the last quarter of 2023, and only recently lifting a ban on pork product from Belgium.
