ASF Germany: Number of outbreaks up to 48 in NRW
The outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in wild boar in Germany’s North Rhine Westphalia state is not under control yet. The authorities of North Rhine Westphalia state have reported that the total number of casualties has gone up to 48 – up from 36 mid-July.
North Rhine Westphalia is Germany’s most populous state with large cities as Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Cologne. Until June 2025 the virus had not emerged in this state. When it did emerge in the state’s wild boar population in the south west, it quickly became clear this outbreak bore most resemblance to virus variants that had been found in Calabria, in the south of Italy.
The majority of cases (41) have been found in Olpe district, whereas the other 7 cases emerged in Siegen-Wittgenstein district. In order to get the situation in North Rhine Westphalia under control, the authorities have installed 2 restricted areas around the finding locations, in accordance with European legislation. Fencing is being applied to these areas.
ASF continues to be a problem in Hesse state
Where ASF has been a problem since last year is in a large region between the cities Frankfurt-am-Main and Mannheim, at the crossroads of 3 German states: Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg. That area starts 100 km south of North Rhine Westphalia. Especially in Hesse, the count of ASF cases has been rough this year. From data from the German animal health information system (TSIS), it emerges that this year so far 1,586 wild boar carcasses have been found infected with ASF. In combination with the 633 carcasses from last year, this brings the total to 2,217.
Even though this year no pig farms have been reported to be infected in Hesse, the authorities have announced emergency financial support for pig producers suffering from indirect losses. Especially restricted zones and subsequent quarantine obligations lead to economic losses, writes Germany’s agricultural title Top Agrar. A state directive regarding emergency support for extreme weather conditions has therefore been expanded with damage payments (up to 80%) related to ASF. The new rule applies to all farms having over 100 pigs prior to the outbreaks as from April 2024.
When comparing the outbreak numbers to what has been happening in Eastern Germany, the state Hesse now ends third, only after Brandenburg (3,455 infected wild boar found in total) and (2,399 infected wild boar found in total). In both states in Eastern Germany, however, things appear to have calmed down now and rarely new cases are being found. In Hesse state, however, the most infected pig farms were found – 9 in total, all in 2024.
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