Compared with the previous year, eight more European countries reported outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in backyard and commercial pigs in 2023.
In comparison with 2022, more European countries registered ASF outbreaks in domestic pigs in 2023. The regional total was up eight-fold in this population, while the figure for wild boar was up around 6%.
For the full year to December 31, 2023, the total number of ASF outbreaks in commercial and backyard pigs across Europe was 4,513. One or more cases were registered in 20 countries across the region.
This data is from the Animal Disease Information System from the European Commission (EC), which monitors notifiable animal diseases in member states of the European Union (EU) and most of the adjacent countries.
For comparison, a total of 537 outbreaks were recorded through the system by 12 European states during the whole of 2022. In that year, approximately 60% of all the outbreaks occurred in Romania.
However, 2023 saw the sudden spread of ASF, particularly across the Balkans from mid-year. As a result, 33% of all the region’s outbreaks in this population were in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and 25% in Croatia.
Greater details on these outbreaks are provided periodically by the national veterinary agencies to World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
While one of the premises in Bosnia-Herzegovina had approximately 5,200 animals and was described in the official notification as a “farm,” all other infected premises in both countries were in much smaller herds, often designated as “backyards.” In all, around 60,000 pigs have so far been directly involved in ASF outbreaks in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and 24,000 in Croatia.
The animal health situation in Russia is not included in reports from the EC’s System.
Based on WOAH notification, ASF virus was detected in 19 regions in the west of the country over the course of 2023. While the majority of these premises kept only backyard herds, a handful of the outbreaks were on very large commercial farms.
Recent outbreaks in swine in 3 countries
Since the previous update of the EC’s system dated December 16, further outbreaks of ASF were confirmed in three countries. A total of 19 herds of domestic pigs were hit by ASF over that time — 14 in Serbia, three in Romania and two in Ukraine. These bring the outbreak total for 2023 to 4,513.
Reporting the highest number of outbreaks in domestic pigs with the EC in 2023 was Bosnia-Herzegovina, with a total of 1,508, followed by Croatia (1,124), Serbia (991) and Romania (740). The next highest national total is Ukraine, with 37 outbreaks confirmed during the year.
Up to January 6, one ASF outbreak in domestic pigs had been registered through the EC’s System in each of Romania and Ukraine so far in 2024.
ASF outbreaks in wild boar passed 7,900 in 2023
Total outbreaks in the wild population of Europe last year, as monitored by the EC System, was 7,903. Twenty nations officially registered one or more outbreaks of the disease in their respective wild boar.
For comparison, 15 European countries covered by the EC System registered a total of 7,442 outbreaks of ASF in this population in the whole of 2022.
With a total of 2,744, 35% of the last year’s total outbreaks were recorded in Poland. The nation headed the outbreak list in 2022 and 2023.
Last year, registering the next highest total was Italy (1,047), followed by Germany (899), Latvia (730), Slovakia (546), Lithuania (439) and Hungary (407).
Already by January 6, outbreaks in wild boar had been confirmed to the EC in 10 European countries since the start of 2024. Of the total of 121 reported outbreaks so far, 29 were in Bulgaria, 23 in Poland, 17 in Hungary and 16 in Latvia.
View our continuing coverage of the global African swine fever situation.
