The mid-year report shows that the situation regarding African swine fever (ASF) in Europe remains dynamic. While fewer cases were registered across Europe in the first half of 2026 than in the same period last year, the disease remains at a high level, particularly among wild boar, in many regions of Europe and continues to spread in parts of southeastern Europe. In some EU countries, large numbers of domestic pig herds are also affected.
According to the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, a total of 5,690 cases of African swine fever (ASF) were registered in domestic and wild boar across Europe between January and June 2026. This represents a decrease of 1,266 cases compared to the first half of 2025, which saw 6,956 cases.
Poland continues to have by far the highest number of African swine fever (ASF) cases in the EU. Although the number of ASF cases there has decreased from 2,301 in the first half of 2025 to 1,403 in 2026, the overall level remains very high. Following Poland are Lithuania (832 cases), Italy (824 cases), Germany (622 cases), and Hungary (492 cases). In these countries, ASF affects almost exclusively wild boar. Germany recorded significantly fewer cases in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year (first half of 2025: 1,574 ASF cases).
It is noticeable that the geographical hotspots have shifted somewhat compared to the previous year. While Poland continued to be burdened with high case numbers in 2025, Lithuania and Italy also became more prominent in the focus of the disease outbreak in 2026. The figures show that African swine fever (ASF) continues to spread across large parts of Europe and that regional hotspots can change at any time. For pig farmers and the entire industry, this means that biosecurity measures and consistent disease prevention remain a top priority.
Besides wild boar populations, African swine fever (ASF) remains a serious problem in domestic pigs in some southeastern European countries. Most outbreaks in the first half of 2026 were recorded in Serbia (132 cases), Romania (109 cases), and Croatia (24 cases). In the same period of the previous year, Romania had the highest number of cases with 162. The trend in Serbia is particularly striking: there, the number of reported ASF cases in domestic pigs rose significantly from 18 cases in the first half of 2025 to 132 cases in 2026.
The mid-year report makes it clear: Even though the total number of ASF cases in Europe has decreased compared to the previous year, the animal disease remains widespread in numerous countries. A sustained Europe-wide decline in disease pressure is not yet apparent. Accordingly, ASF remains one of the biggest challenges for European pig farming.
