Poland confirms new case of African swine fever

The deadly pig virus has been detected on a large farm in western Poland
The deadly pig virus has been detected on a large farm in western Poland

A large pig farm in Poland is at the centre of a new African swine fever (ASF) outbreak, government authorities have confirmed.

The farm, in Niedoradz, western Poland, lies approximately 65km from the German border in an area already subject to ASF restrictions.

A total of 23,746 pigs, including nearly 7,000 sows, tested positive for the virus at the farm.

Polish authorities established new restrictions around the farm after confirming the outbreak on Monday 23 March.

The farm sold all its stock as piglets - there were nearly 17,000 piglets on the farm at the time - prompting concerns over possible onward spread to other farms that that have recently purchased stock from it.

It comes as African swine fever was detected in Greece for the first time last month.

The disease was detected at a breeding farm in the north of the country, close to the border with Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

Last June, ASF was found in meat seized by port authorities in Northern Ireland before entering the country, the first time the virus has been detected in the UK.

It has also been reported in Belgium, Slovakia, Serbia, China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, North Korea, South Korea, the Philippines, Timor Leste and Indonesia.