News item | 19-11-2025 | 09:41
We want to prevent an outbreak of African swine fever in the Netherlands. The virus can occur in wild boars and farmed pigs. A possible outbreak has major economic, ecological and social consequences. That is why an action plan has been signed today by governments, nature organizations and the Pig Farming Products Organization that aims to reduce the risk of an outbreak among wild boars in the Netherlands.
African swine fever itself does not pose a risk to humans, but they can cause the spread of the virus. They do this, for example, by throwing contaminated pork products into nature. When wild boars eat these abandoned pork products, they become infected and die. An outbreak of African swine fever then leads to drastic measures, such as fencing and access restrictions to nature reserves. When kept pigs become infected, all pigs on an infected farm must be culled. It is not possible to vaccinate against African swine fever because there is no suitable and authorized vaccine for it.
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) Femke Wiersma is one of the signatories.
Wiersma: “We want to combat and prevent animal diseases. This is only possible if the government – central government and provinces – work well together with nature organizations and companies. With this plan we are taking the necessary steps to prevent a possible outbreak in wild boars.”
Prevention and control
The action plan focuses on prevention and preparation for the control of African swine fever in wild boars. For example, work is being done to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus at locations where people can leave pork products in the wild with wild boars. For example, we are also working on strengthening hunters’ knowledge and evaluating whether improvement in management (monitoring, fencing, preventive shooting) is necessary. In order to be well prepared for control, it is mapped out how contamination zones can best be set up if African swine fever is detected in wild boars and preparations are made for installing fencing. In addition, it is being explored how to collaborate with the relevant safety regions if there is an outbreak. Pig farmers who want to take measures to prevent contamination can go to: the website of the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority.
The implementation of the action plan will in principle run until 2028, unless there is an outbreak earlier. In that case, the actions in the action plan are implemented more quickly. The Ministry of LVVN is then in charge.
Signatories
The Ministry of LVVN, the provinces of Limburg, North Brabant, Gelderland and Overijssel, Staatsbosbeheer, Natuurmonumenten en LandschappenNL and the Pig Farming Producers Organization (POV) have signed the African swine fever action plan.