Montenegro reports first African swine fever case

No cases of the disease have been established at local pig farms so far, the agriculture ministry said in a statement.

The disease was confirmed in two wild boars found dead by local hunters on Friday on the territory of the western municipality of Niksic, close to the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The ministry noted that according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) African swine fever has been spreading among wild boars and pigs in Europe since 2007. It was registered in Serbia in 2019, in North Macedonia in 2022, and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Kosovo last year.

Humans cannot get infected by the disease but the meat of infected animals should not be consumed, the ministry warned.

It called on local pig farmers to promptly report any change in the health condition or death of animals to the veterinary authorities, as well as to fully apply biosecurity measures at their farms.