BUDAPEST, June 4 (Reuters) – Hungarian authorities ordered the culling of 3,000 pigs on a farm after African swine fever was reported in domestic pigs for the first time in the country, the National Food Chain Safety Office said in a statement on Thursday.
The virus, which is harmless to humans but highly contagious and deadly in pigs, was reported on a farm in the village of Vallaj, in the eastern county of Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg.
“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 food safety authority said.
It added that authorities have designated a protection and surveillance zone around the location.
African swine fever has spread from Africa to Europe and Asia, and has killed hundreds of millions of pigs, leading to trade restrictions and affecting global meat markets.
Cases have been detected and prompted the culling of pigs in recent years across Europe in Croatia, Spain, Germany, Italy and Estonia.
The food safety authority said that the outbreak could cause significant economic damage.
Hungary had about 2.9 million domestic pigs at the end of 2025, according to the website of the Central Statistics Office.
(Reporting by Anita Komuves;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
