According to the Polish Chief Veterinary Inspectorate, this marks the third farm outbreak in Pomerania province — the first two occurred in 2024. Given that most of this year’s ASF infections in wild boar have been detected in the Gdańsk region, the emergence of a farm outbreak in this area was not unexpected.
Since ASF first entered Poland in 2014, the country has experienced an annual summer spike in infections. Experts link this seasonal surge to the transportation of hay and straw, which can carry virus-contaminated particles (fomites), posing a serious biosecurity risk on pig farms.
As of now, 2,322 cases of ASF in wild boar have been reported across Poland in 2025. In previous years, the total annual number of infected wild boar typically ranges between 3,000 and 4,000.
This year’s farm outbreak occurred relatively late compared to previous years, when cases usually began appearing in early June. In 2024, Poland recorded 44 ASF outbreaks in pig farms. The worst year to date was 2021, when 124 farms were affected. In total, this is the 553rd recorded farm outbreak since 2014 — including both commercial operations and small backyard farms.
In the context of over a decade of ASF outbreaks, the affected farm's size — 1,311 pigs — is not unusually large. Since 2014, 35 Polish farms with even larger herds have been infected. The largest known infected farm in the country housed 23,631 pigs.
Given the ongoing spread among wild boar and the seasonal pattern of outbreaks, Polish authorities are maintaining heightened surveillance and urging farmers to reinforce biosecurity protocols. The summer months remain the highest-risk period for ASF transmission in Poland, making continuous vigilance essential to preventing further spread within domestic pig populations.
Useful for Producers: Online Course on ASF
The Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders together with leading industry experts offers a specialized online course, “African Swine Fever — Everything the Business Needs to Know,” available on the AgriAcademy educational platform.
The course is designed for owners, managers, and employees of pig farms, as well as other industry stakeholders who seek to minimize risks associated with African swine fever (ASF) and protect their businesses from critical losses.
During the course, participants will gain:
- up-to-date knowledge on the nature of ASF and the mechanisms of its spread;
- an understanding of key risk factors and the findings of recent research;
- practical tools for assessing biosecurity risks at the farm level;
- clear action protocols in the event of suspected or confirmed outbreaks;
- recommendations on preventive measures and long-term farm protection;
- examples of practical experience from enterprises that have already faced ASF-related challenges.
Training format:
All materials are presented in the form of concise, well-structured video modules that can be viewed at any convenient time.
The course is free of charge, subject to prior registration.
You can join the course via the following link: https://courses.agriacademy.org/courses/course-v1:FAO+ASF+2024Q4/about