Since June, more than 20,000 pigs have been culled in Estonia and tensions are rising in the countryside and among the farming community. The disease is mainly spread by wild boar coming into contact with domestic herds. This year, at least seven ASF outbreaks have been confirmed in the country. Prior to 2025, only three cases have been reported since 2018.

Last weekend, a single positive sample was detected at a farm in Viljandi County with 4,500 animals. Under EU rules, all the pigs at the farm must be slaughtered to stop the spread. However, protesters managed to stop the cull.

Officials from the Agricultural and Food Board (PTA) backed down. A second test later confirmed the sample as positive by a Spanish laboratory.

The situation has continued this week and the cull was stopped for a second time on Thursday. The PTA has since redirected its resources elsewhere.

On Friday, the chief veterinary officers from Poland and the three Baltic states urged the authorities to continue following the EU's rules.

"All animals on a farm where infection is detected must be culled to stop the spread of the disease. Confirming the presence of a disease is not based on the number of infected animals, but on proof of the presence of the virus on a specific farm," they wrote in a joint statement.

Following the rules gives reassurance to trading partners and shapes a country's reputation, they added: "Doing the opposite, on the other hand, diminishes this reputation or destroys it entirely."

Non-compliance is "not tolerated" by the bloc and "can jeopardise the credibility of EU trade as a whole."

The four chief veterinary officers met in Estonia on August 12-13 and issued the statement on Friday.

Joint statement by the Chief Veterinary Officers of the Baltic states and the Poland

In event of particularly dangerous animal diseases such as African swine fever, countries have the same principles for disease response and eradication. All 4 Member States are obliged to respond to disease situations on the basis of and in accordance with the same directly applicable EU legislation.

All animals on a farm where infection is detected must be culled to stop the spread of the disease. Confirming the presence of a disease is not based on the number of infected animals, but on proof of the presence of the virus on a specific farm.

Adherence to the agreed standards of evidence- and risk-based disease prevention, outbreak response, and containment provides reassurance to a country's trading partners, both within and outside the European Union (EU), and shapes a country's reputation. Doing the opposite, on the other hand, diminishes this reputation or destroys it entirely.

In addition, the inappropriate eradication practices of one EU market participant – a Member State – can jeopardise the credibility of EU trade as a whole. Non-compliance is not tolerated by the EU and may result in safeguard measures being taken by the European Commission.

The European Commission expects all Member States to act decisively and swiftly to contain the spread of the disease.

Maris Balodis, Chief Veterinary Officer of Latvia

Vaidotas Kiudulas, Chief Veterinary Officer of Lithuania

Krzysztof Jażdżewski, Chief Veterinary Officer of Poland

Olev Kalda, Chief Veterinary Officer of Estonia

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!