Outbreaks have been ongoing in this part of southwestern Germany since June 2024. The affected region lies at the intersection of three German states — Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Baden-Württemberg — all of which have reported cases, with Hesse being the most severely impacted.
Hesse hit hardest by wild boar losses
Data from state authorities, the German Animal Disease Reporting System (TSIS), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) confirm that Hesse has recorded 2,087 wild boar deaths due to ASF as of mid-May 2025. In comparison, Rhineland-Palatinate has reported 74 cases and Baden-Württemberg only 12.
The virus has gradually moved south from the initial outbreak zone in the Gross-Gerau district, reaching the outskirts of the city of Mannheim — a spread that now covers a 65 km stretch. Just last week, the first cases were detected in the “Odenwaldkreis” district, indicating that ASF is now creeping eastward as well.
Pig farms affected in 2024
All three states also saw outbreaks on pig farms last year. In Hesse, eight farms were infected in July 2024, followed by a small zoo in November. Rhineland-Palatinate reported a backyard farm infection in August 2024. Baden-Württemberg’s only case occurred in May 2022 on a backyard farm in a different region than the current outbreak area.
The ongoing outbreak around Frankfurt-am-Main constitutes a separate infected zone from the one in Eastern Germany, where the states of Saxony and Brandenburg are still battling ASF in their wild boar populations near the Polish border. The virus remains widespread in Poland as well.
pigprogress.net