ASF Germany: Virus pops up in farm near Rostock

The state is the 3rd in Germany to be infected by ASF virus. It was the only state in Germany bordering Poland that had not reported any outbreaks of ASF, neither in wild boar nor in pigs.

ASF virus at a finisher site

The virus was confirmed on a finisher pig site in Lalendorf, about 30km away from Rostock, with 4,038 pigs on-site. At a press conference, it was explained that on November 12, various animals started having suspicious symptoms and dying, followed by 25 over the weekend and another 20 on Monday. Initial PCR tests turned out to be positive. Germany’s national reference laboratory, the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, later confirmed that ASF virus had found its way into the farm site. All pigs on the farm were culled, and the regular ASF zoning and surveillance are being applied. 

It is unclear yet how the virus got into the farm, as it is located about 100km away from the surveillance zones in the infected border states Brandenburg and Saxony.

So far, no wild boar infected with ASF have been reported infected in pigs in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Press conference about ASF outbreak

Till Backhaus, minister of Mecklenburg-Vorpommeren state, will give a press conference on Tuesday, November 16. On Monday evening, he called for additional attention for biosecurity to prevent further spread of the virus.