Hungary has confirmed the country's first case of African swine fever (ASF) in a domestic pig herd, leading to a cull of 3,000 animals.

Laboratory tests recently carried out by Hungary's National Food Chain Safety Authority confirmed the presense of the virus in a domestic pig herd in eastern county of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg.

Hungary's chief veterinarian, Dr. Imre Nemes, has ordered immediate official measures to prevent the further spread of the disease.

The large pig farm in the village of Vállaj has been closed with around 3,000 pigs on the premises being culled.

The authority has also asked pig farmers to strictly comply with the disease control regulations being put in place and report any suspect cases to their vet.

Pigs

An epidemiological investigation is underway to determine the origin of the infection and its possible further spread.

A designated protection and surveillance zone has been put in place around the outbreak, along with other restrictions.

The authority said the case is of "paramount importance", as this is the first time the virus has been detected in domestic pigs in Hungary. Up to now, the country only had ASF cases in wild boar.

While ASF is a serious viral disease for domestic and wild pigs, it is not dangerous to humans.

There is no cure and no vaccine against ASF, so the presence of the disease can cause significant economic damage to the pig industry.

African swine fever

In 2025, ASF outbreaks increased across the European Union in both domestic pigs (+76%) and wild boar (+44%) compared to the previous year, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

The disease reemerged in Spain after 31 years without detections, raising the number of affected member states to 14.

The number of ASF outbreaks in domestic pigs in the EU increased from 333 in 2024 to 585 in 2025.

This increase was largely driven by Romania, which accounted for 81% of outbreaks in 2025.

Most ASF outbreaks (91%) occurred in establishments with more than 100 pigs.

No outbreaks of ASF have ever been detected in Ireland.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has previously said that "an incursion of the disease to Ireland would have devastating impacts on the Irish pig industry".