Hungary Reports First African Swine Fever Outbreak in Domestic Pigs, 3,000 Culled

Hungary's National Food Chain Safety Office said in a statement on Wednesday that it had ordered the culling of 3,000 pigs at a farm after the country's first reported case of African swine fever in domestic pigs.

Reuters reported that the outbreak was detected at a pig farm in the village of Vallaj, located in the eastern county of Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg. The African swine fever virus is harmless to humans but is highly contagious and often fatal to pigs.

"The culling of the herd of approximately 3,000 pigs is currently underway, along with an epidemiological investigation to determine the source of the infection and possible routes of further spread," the National Food Chain Safety Office said.

The authority also said it had established protection and surveillance zones around the site.

African swine fever has spread from Africa to Europe and Asia, causing the deaths of hundreds of millions of pigs, triggering trade restrictions, and impacting the global meat market.

In recent years, related cases have been detected and pig culls carried out in Croatia, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Estonia across Europe.

The National Food Chain Safety Office noted that this outbreak could cause significant economic losses. According to data from the Central Statistical Office's website, Hungary had approximately 2.9 million domestic pigs as of the end of 2025.