African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in domestic pigs across the EU declined by 83% to 333 in 2024, according to the European Food Safety Agency’s (EFSA) latest annual epidemiological report.
The fall from 1,929 cases in 2023 was mainly due to fewer outbreaks in Romania and Croatia, and represents the lowest annual total number of outbreaks in the EU since 2017.
The report also reveals that the number of EU Member States affected by ASF declined for the first time since 2014, from 14 to 13, with Sweden becoming free from the disease and no new country reporting infections.
The EU countries that experienced cases in domestic pigs or wild boar, or both, were: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Ten of these countries recorded outbreaks in domestic pigs and all reported cases in wild boar.
Most Member States were affected by sporadic outbreaks of ASF, while Romania accounted for 66% of the total EU number of outbreaks. Most of the outbreaks (78%) occurred in establishments with fewer than 100 pigs.
There were a total of 7,677 cases of ASF reported in wild boar across the affected member states, with 30% of all outbreaks in wild boar reported by Poland with 2,311 cases, while Italy reported 1,205 cases. The number of outbreaks in wild boar has remained stable since 2022.
However, that does not paint the full European picture. A further seven non-EU member states recorded outbreaks – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine. Sebia reported 310 cases in domestic pigs and Ukraine, 70.
Passive surveillance
EFSA also reports that, In 2024, affected Member States analysed an increasing number of domestic pig samples from passive surveillance activities.
This type of surveillance consists of investigating suspected cases of the disease, resulting in the detection of around 80% of ASF outbreaks among domestic pigs and 70% of wild boar outbreaks in the EU.
EFSA’s scientists recommend affected Member States to continue focussing their monitoring efforts on passive surveillance. They also recommend that, in areas and times considered to be of risk, the systematic sampling of dead pigs (enhanced passive surveillance) should continue to ensure early detection of the disease.
You can read the full report HERE