Hungary orders mass wild boar cull to curb African swine fever

An outbreak of African swine fever has been detected in Hungary's domestic pig herds, traced to contact with local wild boar populations. The government has mandated a radical reduction of wild boars within a ten‑kilometre radius of the infected zones, tasking hunting associations and, if necessary, the armed forces to carry out the cull. The objective is to halt virus spread within two months.

The disease has created a surplus of pork, threatening export markets in South Korea, Vietnam and Serbia. Authorities are urging consumers, the food‑service sector and public catering to increase domestic pork consumption to absorb the excess. About 9,000 slaughter pigs originally earmarked for export must now be redirected to the local market, while the sector continues to import roughly 400,000 pigs' worth of meat annually.

Officials stress that swift action on the wild‑boar population and a temporary boost in home‑grown pork demand are essential to prevent broader economic losses in the Hungarian pork industry.