Two African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks on huge farms in Estonia and Latvia have resulted in the culling of close to 50,000 pigs.
Last week, Estonia’s largest pig farm, Ekseko, with 28,500 pigs, was hit by the virus, resulting in all pigs being culled.
The unit accounts for about 45% of Estonia’s pig farming capacity, according to PTA. The outbreak has been described as a ‘major blow to the entire industry, significantly affecting the country’s self-sufficiency and food security’.
Priit Dreimann, a management board member of Maag Agro, which owns Ekseko, said, according to ERR: “We are now talking about culling 27,000 pigs. Such a large-scale culling at Ekseko would break the entire production chain and halt pig farming at the site for a considerable time. Unfortunately, this is a nationwide crisis and the largest ever faced in Estonian pig farming.”
The most recent outbreak in domestic pigs before this case was identified on August 14 at Tässi farm in Viljandi County, which kept about 250 pigs. In total, more than 54,650 domestic pigs have been confirmed in 10 outbreaks this year, with ASF also diagnosed in 125 wild boar, ERR reports.
Latvia outbreak
This week another major outbreak has been detected in the Ogre region of Latvia on a farm with 20,000 domestic pigs, owned by Baltic Pork SIA.
Latvia’s Food and Veterinary Service reports that all pigs on the holding are being culled and a quarantine zone has been established, with farmers encouraged to adhere to strict biosecurity requirements.
This is the eighth outbreak of ASF recorded in domestic pigs in Latvia this year.
ASF in Focus
Pig World has teamed up with the NPA and AHDB and Pig World to launch ASF in Focus draw attention to the risk posed by ASF – and encourage industry-wide action to prevent it.