No new cases of African swine fever (ASF) have been detected in Saxony in the past four months. According to the Saxon Ministry of Social Affairs, the control measures have been successful. Of the total of 2,397 ASF cases, only 102 are still active. This means that they were detected less than a year ago. Animal disease control measures are no longer required for all other cases.
The disease, which only affects domestic and wild boars, is currently concentrated mainly in the north of the district of Bautzen. Restricted zones still exist in certain areas of the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz.
The decline in ASF was reportedly achieved through a combination of different measures, such as fencing off infection zones and reducing the number of wild boar. Since the end of October 2020, the state has spent around 54 million euros on this, including 13.7 million euros in 2024.
Saxony avoids transmission to fattening farms
Social Affairs Minister Petra Köpping (SPD) thanked those involved for their perseverance. "I understand that our measures were sometimes perceived as a burden for farmers, hunters and the public." But there was no alternative.
Saxony has a duty to implement EU law. The Free State will continue to be vigilant in order to control the invisible danger of the virus entering the country. "In contrast to other federal states, we were able to prevent the spread of African swine fever to fattening pig farms in Saxony," emphasized Köpping.
African swine fever is a viral infection that only affects pigs. It is almost always fatal and incurable. Surviving animals do not develop immunity to the virus and can become infected again. To date, there is no way to protect pigs through vaccination. The disease can be transmitted directly from animal to animal or indirectly via contaminated objects and feed.
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