Sanitary Alert: New African Swine Fever Outbreaks in Europe Raise Concern in the Pork Industry

Europe is experiencing a resurgence in African Swine Fever (ASF) cases, directly impacting pork production and raising the alert level in the agri-food trade. Poland has confirmed its first commercial case of the year in the province of Pomerania, just 50 kilometers from Gdansk, one of the country’s major port cities.

This new case adds to two others previously reported in the same region in 2024, establishing Pomerania as one of the most vulnerable areas to the virus.

Seasonality and Transmission Factors

Since the virus first appeared in Poland in 2014, an upward trend in infections has been observed during the summer months. According to local health authorities, the transportation of food and materials such as straw ranks among the main channels for virus transmission.

So far in 2024, more than 2,300 wild boars have been found infected in the country, with projections potentially reaching 4,000 cases. Additionally, 44 pig farms — both commercial and subsistence — have reported outbreaks, posing a direct threat to the sector’s stability.

Germany Faces a Possible New Strain

In Germany, specifically in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, alarms have been raised following the discovery of several dead wild boars. Investigations by the Friedrich-Loeffler Institute revealed that the genome of the detected virus does not match any previously reported variants in the country, which could indicate the arrival of a new strain.

Interestingly, this new variant more closely resembles the one identified in southern Italy, in Calabria, in 2023. This suggests that the outbreak might not be related to the usual migration of the virus but rather to a new, isolated introduction.

Ongoing Risks and Preventive Measures

The specialized outlet Top Agrar has also reported the discovery of three more dead wild boars in the same area where six earlier cases were found, which are currently under laboratory analysis.

At BMD International Trading Group, we remain committed to delivering verified information to our partners in the agri-food sector. We strongly recommend that all players in the pork supply chain reinforce biosecurity measures, especially during the high-risk summer season.