Hungary to cull 3,000 pigs after first domestic ASF case

Hungary has confirmed African swine fever in domestic pigs for the first time, prompting the culling of around 3,000 animals.

The outbreak was reported on a farm in the village of Vallaj, in the eastern county of Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg.

Hungary’s National Food Chain Safety Office said a protection and surveillance zone had been established around the infected site.

The authority said the culling of the herd was already under way.

“The culling of the herd of approximately 3,000 pigs is underway, and an epidemiological investigation to determine the origin of the infection and its possible further spread is also taking place,” the authority said.

Until now, Hungary had reported African swine fever in wild boar, but not in domestic pigs.

The case marks a significant development for the country’s pig sector.

According to Hungary’s Central Statistics Office, the country had about 2.9 million domestic pigs at the end of 2025.

The food safety authority warned that the outbreak could cause significant economic damage.

African swine fever continues to pose a major threat to pig production across Europe.

The number of outbreaks recorded in domestic pigs across the EU rose by 76% to 585 in 2025, according to the European Food Safety Authority’s annual epidemiological report.

The increase was largely driven by Romania, which accounted for 476 domestic pig outbreaks, or 81% of the EU total last year.

In 2025, nine EU countries reported African swine fever outbreaks in both wild boar and domestic pigs.

They were Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

Hungary was among five further countries that reported cases in wild boar only, alongside Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany and Spain.

The latest confirmed case means Hungary has now joined the list of countries where the disease has moved into domestic pigs.

African swine fever does not affect humans, but it is highly contagious among pigs and wild boar.

Outbreaks can lead to major trade restrictions, culling, movement controls and substantial losses for producers.

The outbreak comes as Britain strengthens preparations against African swine fever amid concern that the disease could one day reach UK shores.

ASF has never been detected in the UK, but the government has set out a tougher disease control strategy aimed at protecting the country’s pig sector and limiting disruption if an outbreak were confirmed.

The updated approach includes a more flexible system of control zones, with Restricted Zones 1, 2 and 3 available depending on the scale and severity of an outbreak.