The first case of African swine fever (ASF) to be identified in Estonia has been confirmed by the country’s Veterinary and Food Office (FVO) after an infected wild boar was found close the border with Latvia.
FVO director general Ago Pärtel made the announcement after the disease was confirmed by an EU reference laboratory in Spain, immediately urging pig producers to adopt high biosecurity measures to protect their stock.
An 8km radius quarantine zone was imposed surrounding the point where the infected boar was found, an area which government officials said contained 15 small pig farms.
The Estonia case follows ASF discoveries in Latvia, Poland, Lithuania and Belarus.
Estonia
An EU member state since 2004, Estonia’s economy is closely tied into the European markets. In 2012, a total of 66% exports went to other EU countries. Total exports of goods were valued at €12.5bn in 2012 with the export of services adding a further €4.2bn. The import of goods was, at the same time, €13.8bn with the import of services at €3bn.
The country’s main trading partners are Sweden, Finland, Russia, Germany, Latvia and Lithuania.