What is African swine fever?
African swine fever (ASF) is a devastating infectious disease of pigs, usually deadly. No vaccine exists to combat this virus. It does not affect humans nor does it affect other animal species other than pigs and wild boars.
It can be transmitted either via direct animal contact or via dissemination of contaminated food (e.g. sausages or uncooked meat).
See more information on ASF here: EFSA, WOAH.
Where are we now? - See the factsheet.
Current Situation
For epidemiological information gathered through the EU Animal Disease Information System (ADIS), please see the "Notification System" page.
The agenda and the presentations of the points being discussed in the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (PAFF) can be found in the "Animal Health and Welfare regulatory committee" page.
Special control measures
Legislation: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 of 16 March 2023 laying down special disease control measures for African swine fever was adopted by the Commission based on the Regulation (EU) 2016/429 ("Animal Health Law"). More information on this legal framework can be found here.
Special control measures for African swine fever apply in the Union in addition to rules for the prevention and control of certain listed diseases laid down in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/687.
EU zoning measures: based on the epidemiological situation of African swine fever, the areas affected by that disease in relevant Member States are listed as restricted zones I, II and III in Annex I to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594, while the areas identified at Union level as protection and surveillance zones or, in the case of wild porcine animals, as an infected zone are listed in Annex II to that Regulation.
The latest specific zoning measures that have been taken with respect to evolution of the African swine fever situation in the Union are included in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2928 of 20 November 2024, amending Annex I to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 as regards special disease control measures for African swine fever.
The map summarising the zoning measures for African swine fever in the Union and an interactive tool for EU ASF zoning measures provide an indicative representation of restricted zones I, II and III listed in Annex I of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594 as last amended by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2928 of 20 November 2024.
Websites of competent authorities of Member States
(concerned with lists of establishments as referred to in Articles 19(6)(a), 34(2)(c) and 44(3)(a) of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/594)
Bulgaria (BG) | Croatia (HR) | Czech Republic (EN) Czech Republic (CZ) | |||
Estonia (EE) | Germany (DE) | Hungary (HU) | |||
Italy (IT) | Latvia (LV) | Lithuania (LT) | |||
Poland (PL) | Romania (RO) | Slovakia (SK) |
NOTICE: The information on this site is for information purposes only. In case of errors, amendments or updates, the competent authority of each Member State should be contacted directly.
The EU legislation referenced above is fully in line with the WOAH international standards. Nevertheless, in order to ensure a higher level of animal health protection, the EU goes beyond the WOAH requirements and applies stricter standards in certain situations.
The Commission Notice on the guidelines on the prevention, control and eradication of African swine fever in the Union ('ASF guidelines') has been developed on the basis of previous working documents, and updated considering the most recent legislation and the latest scientific knowledge on ASF.
The ASF guidelines provide guidance to Member States and/or stakeholders on available tools for the prevention, control and eradication of ASF in response to the epidemiological situation of that disease in the EU and globally.
In particular, they provide for information on the existing EU legal provisions, illustrate and encourage best practices on the management of ASF, provide advice on specific measures on ASF prevention, control and eradication in the Union and provide for the principles and criteria for geographically defining ASF regionalisation in the EU.
BTSF training materials on African Swine Fever (ASF)
The BTSF (Better Training for Safer Food) initiative is actively participating in the fight again the ASF with the training of officials in the Member States and neighbouring countries.
Below, see the presentations for each of the sessions held on the ASF topic:
- ASF – BTSF in Luxembourg 23-25 September 2019
- ASF – BTSF - the most updated and complete training material
- ASF – BTSF in Belgrade 6 to 8 November 2018
- ASF – BTSF in Belgrade 27 February to 1 March 2018
- ASF – BTSF in Prague 25-27 October 2017
- ASF – BTSF in Minsk 16-18 November 2016
- ASF – BTSF in Warsaw 3-5 October 2016
EFSA scientific advice
Relevant scientific advice on ASF has been provided by the European Food Safety Authority by means of the:
- Epidemiological analysis of African swine fever in the European Union during 2023
- Epidemiological analysis of African swine fever in the European Union during 2022
- Scientific opinion on ASF Exit Strategy: Providing cumulative evidence of the absence of African swine fever virus circulation in wild boar populations using standard surveillance measures
- Epidemiological analyses of African swine fever in the European Union (November 2018 to October 2019)
- Scientific Report on Epidemiological analyses of African swine fever in the European Union (November 2017 until November 2018)
- Scientific Opinion on African Swine Fever in wild boar
- Scientific Report on Epidemiological analyses of African swine fever in the Baltic States and Poland
- Supporting publication Report on Simulation-based investigation of African swine fever spread and control in wildlife without consideration of human non-compliance to biosecurity
- Scientific report - African Swine Fever epidemiological analysis
- Scientific Opinion on African Swine Fever and wild boar
- Updated Scientific Opinion on African Swine Fever on the risk of introduction into the EU
- Scientific Report of EFSA on the Evaluation of possible mitigation measures to prevent introduction and spread of African swine fever virus through wild boar
- Scientific Opinion on the Role of Tick Vectors in African Swine Fever in Eurasia
- Scientific Opinion on African Swine Fever on the risk of introduction into the EU
- EFSA Risk assessment of African swine fever in the south-eastern countries of Europe
- EFSA Research gap analysis on African swine fever
- EFSA Scientific Opinion on ASF 'Research priorities to fill knowledge gaps in the control of African swine fever: possible transmission of African swine fever virus by vectors'
- EFSA Scientific Opinion on African swine fever and outdoor farming of pigs
- EFSA Technical Report 'Epidemiological analysis of African swine fever in the European Union (September 2019 to August 2020)
- EFSA Scientific Opinion on 'Ability of different matrices to transmit African swine fever virus
Blueprint and Roadmap (BRMP)
BRMP on the possible development of an African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine.
The Commission has requested to the African Swine Fever EURL (specific mandate EU co-funded) to prepare a valuable document collecting all scientific work, identifying gaps and needs for possible vaccine development and proposing roads to achieve the final goal: the development of an effective and safe vaccine against ASF.
The aim of the ASF blueprint and roadmap is to give an overview of the research efforts needed and help to direct investments towards specific areas.
The STRATEGIC GOALS identified include:
- Identification of potential strategies for vaccine development based on existing data/knowledge in a view of an effective and safe vaccine.
- Identification of gaps and needs for vaccine development and manufacturing following the Good Manufacturing Practice Standards.
- Identification of a network of dedicated laboratories directed towards vaccine development
- Identification of the research steps (Roadmap)
ASF Diagnostics
Relevant information can be found on the website of EU Reference laboratory for ASF.
Related links
- CVOs meeting on ASF in the Western Balkan Countries (31 August 2023)
- Ministerial conference on ASF: awareness, vaccine, wild boar (27 September 2022)
- Conference: The future of global pork production under the threat of African swine fever (17 January 2020)
- Ministerial conference on the eradication of African swine fever (19 December 2018)
- Animation on African swine fever and its impact on EU countries (October 2024)
- African swine fever: EFSA assesses measures to prevent spread
- Interactive tool displaying the EU zoning for ASF
- Video on African Swine Fever
- Factsheet: Where are we now?
- Factsheet: the key role of hunters in the control of ASF in the EU
- Factsheet: the key role of hunters in the control of ASF in the EU (Russian version)
- Pictures with clinical signs and lesions induced by ASF (copyright free material provided by the EU Reference Laboratory on ASF
- Chronology of main initiative taken or supported by the European Commission
- Presentation: Eradication of ASF in the EU – example of the Czech Republic
- Presentation: Eradication of ASF in the EU – example of Belgium