Hungary to protect pigs from deadly virus

Hungary considers it vital to protect its stock of hogs from African swine fever and is working on a measure aimed at reducing the chances of the infection spreading, the agriculture minister said in Brussels on Tuesday.

Speaking to Hungarian reporters after a meeting of European Union agriculture ministers, István Nagy said his Croatian counterpart had told him that African swine fever had been detected in domestic pigs in Croatia.

This poses a serious economic risk to Hungary as well, given that the virus has surfaced near the border, Nagy said. Because it is tourist season and tens of thousands of people are returning from Croatia and could bring the virus back with them, Hungary is working to enact immediate measures, the minister said.

Protecting the domestic pig stock from the virus is vital to Hungary, Nagy said, adding that increased preventive measures would be introduced with a view to reducing the risk of the disease spreading.

He said a zone where there are no wild boar or carriers will be set up in order to minimise the risk of the disease spreading to domestic pigs.

István Nagy and his Croatian counterpart, Marija Vučković:

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