Hungary reports African swine fever in domestic pigs for the first time
5th Jun 2026 / By Alistair Driver
The Hungarian authorities have ordered the culling of 3,000 pigs, after African swine fever was reported in domestic pigs for the first time in the country, the National Food Chain Safety Office said on Thursday.
According to a report by Reuters, the virus was reported on a farm in the village of Vallaj, in the eastern county of Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg. The food safety authority has designated a protection and surveillance zone around the location.
“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.
According to the Central Statistics Office, Hungary had about 2.9 million domestic pigs at the end of 2025. The food safety authority said that the outbreak could cause significant economic damage.
The number outbreaks recorded in domestic pigs across the EU increased by 76% to 585 in 2025, according to the European Food Safety Authority’s annual epidemiological report, largely driven by Romania, which accounted for 81% (476) of all domestic EU outbreaks last year.
In 2025 nine EU countries reported ASF outbreaks in wild boar and domestic pigs – Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Hungary was one of five more, also including Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany and Spain, to report cases in wild boar only.