Estonia's domestic pig numbers still below pre-African swine fever levels
Eight of the 11 Estonian pig farms hit by African swine fever last summer have restocked, but the country's overall domestic pig herd has not yet recovered. No domestic pigs tested positive this year.
Eight of the 11 pig farms in Estonia that were struck by African swine fever (ASF) last summer have restocked their animals. Even so, with no new outbreaks on pig farms this year, the country's total domestic pig population remains well below the level before the disease arrived. The information was reported by Estonian public broadcaster ERR.
Largest affected farm resumes work
ASF was found at the Ekseko breeding farm in Viljandi County in late August last year, when 8,000 sows and 21,000 piglets were culled on an emergency basis. Priit Dreimann, a board member at Maag Agro, said the farm now holds 2,700 sows again. The first piglets are expected in late November or early December. The shutdown was also used to renovate the premises, including animal housing and manure-handling systems.
Sows began arriving in June, and that process has finished. Full normal operations are expected by early next year.
Biosecurity at the farm has been tightened considerably: entry procedures were redesigned, extra disinfection points were added, and facilities were built to limit contact between people and vehicles. The surrounding forest was cleared and turned into parkland so that wildlife has nowhere to shelter. The farm used to keep nearly 8,000 sows but will now hold only 2,700 to lower the risk of another outbreak. The reduction also led to staff layoffs.
Wild boar and overall numbers
Helen Prommik, an expert at the Agriculture and Food Board (PTA), said ASF reached no pig farms this year, but the disease was found in 122 wild boars, or 1.2 percent of those tested. Rapla County had the most confirmed cases with 33, followed by Harju County with 19 and Lääne County with 14.
Of the 19 farms affected by earlier outbreaks, two have closed, while another that operated in rented premises has restarted under a new tenant. In September this year Estonia had about 215,000 domestic pigs, compared with roughly 280,000 in early summer 2025. Prommik also noted that pork prices are low across Europe. She hopes investment subsidies for pork producers will help and may even lead to a completely new pig farm being established in Estonia.
