Published : 01 Aug 2026, 12:48 AM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:29 AM
Finland has detected African swine fever for the first time after laboratory tests found the virus in three wild boar piglets in eastern Finland, the Finnish Food Authority said in a statement issued on Thursday.
● The virus, which is harmless to humans but highly contagious and deadly in pigs, was detected in the municipality of Virolahti in the country's east near the Russian border.
● The Finnish Food Authority will verify the result with the EU's reference laboratory for African swine fever in Spain, it said.
● Finland established an infection zone around the area where the finding was made, and the movement of pigs in the zone is restricted.
● At the beginning of January 2026, there were an estimated 2,380 wild boars in the country, according to the Natural Resources Institute Finland.
● African swine fever has spread from Africa to Europe and Asia, causing major losses in pig populations, triggering 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, Estonia, Hungary and Serbia.
