The situation of the swine plague in the most disadvantaged countries in Europe

The African swine plague has been endemic in Poland since 2014. Here the boar population is the main cause of infection, which has caused losses of more than EUR 5 billion over the last decade, in addition to halting exports.

The African pig plague came in 2020, with the appearance of a boar in Brandenburg (east). Between 2021 and 2023 there were outbreaks in pig farms, with some rare cases in 2024. So far this year, no infections have been detected in pig farms, but 1,948 cases in boar farms.

Since 2022, Italy has detected 580 spotlights (almost always boars), most of which were already extinct, and especially in the northern regions, which are currently undergoing restrictions.

With regard to the impact on livestock farming, pig farms have decreased from 7.82 million pigs in 2024, 14.7% less than in 2023.

In Slovakia in May, around 18,000 pigs were infected in the south-east of the country, killing all of them.

In front of the spotlight of neighbouring countries, the restriction zone is maintained in twelve eastern provinces, where biosecurity measures will continue to be applied on hunting grounds, domestic pig farms, and monitoring of all dead and captured wild boars.

From 1 January to 27 November 2025, 453 new outbreaks were confirmed and there are currently 47 active outbreaks.

Romania remains the focus of the disease, with 66% of all outbreaks recorded in the EU by 2024, according to the European Food Safety Authority.

The cases have been detected on 53 farms, and 372 boars were counted with the disease.

From the onset of the disease in 2023 until October 2025, 55,000 animals, 5% of pigs, were slaughtered in September alone.

By 2025, the pig plague has been detected in 852 wild boars, but not in farm pigs.

The most affected areas are in the north, near the border with Slovakia; and in the east, near Romania and Ukraine, and almost a third of the country's territory has been declared 'contaminated zone'; the rest is a medium or high risk area.

Until 3 November, 409 outbreaks of plague were identified in boars. Last week, the Government declared that there are no active outbreaks and that the fence on the border with Romania prevents the entry of potentially contaminated boars from that country.

The African swine plague has been present since 2014, and the most recent outbreak occurred last September, when some 23,000 pigs were killed on a farm.