The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has been conducting its StopASF campaign for four years in row in 18 countries, including Croatia, to raise awareness among farmers, hunters, and veterinarians in the EU and surrounding countries about how to detect, prevent and report African swine fever.

Croatia’s ministry of agriculture and agency for agriculture and food (HAPIH) implement this campaign in Croatia.

ASF is not dangerous for people and has not been registered in Croatia, but it is present in neighbouring countries.

“The number of outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in pigs and cases reported in wild boar in the European Union (EU) fell considerably in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to a new report published today by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The disease was notified in eight EU countries in pigs and eleven EU countries in wild boar,” EFSA reports.

“Over the last decade, African swine fever has had a dramatic impact on the pig farming sector in the EU and continues to disrupt local and regional economies. While our latest report shows encouraging signs that efforts to halt the spread of the virus may be taking effect, the picture across the EU is by no means universally positive and we must remain vigilant. Farmers, hunters and vets have a particularly important role to play in reporting suspicious cases,” Bernhard Url, EFSA’s Executive Director, was quoted as saying.

HAPIH head Darja Sokolic said that the presence of ASK in the neighborhood makes Croatia worried.

Therefore, during the national campaigns over 1,500 hunters, vets and pig farmers have been informed about the risks.

Thus, 119 properties and farms tapped non-repayable funds to erect double fences and €200,000 has been spent for this purpose.

“In 2022, ASF outbreaks among domestic pigs in the EU decreased by 79% compared to 2021. The decrease was particularly marked in Romania, Poland and Bulgaria. Lithuania, on the contrary, registered a slight increase caused by a cluster of outbreaks notified in summer in the south-western part of the country,” the EFSA said.

Eight EU countries (Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia) and four non-EU neighbouring countries (Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine) reported outbreaks in domestic pigs. Romania was the most affected EU country with 327 outbreaks, representing 87% of the total EU outbreaks. Serbia was the most affected non-EU country of those included in the report, with 107 outbreaks. ASF was notified for the first time in North Macedonia.

Regarding wild boar, 40% fewer cases were reported in the EU during 2022 compared to 2021. This is the first decrease of ASF cases in wild boar in the area since its introduction in 2014. Eleven EU Member States (Czechia, Estonia and Hungary in addition to the Member States with outbreaks among domestic pigs) and four non-EU countries (Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine) notified ASF cases in wild boar.