African Swine Fever Spotlight: Exploring ASF

African Swine Fever is a highly infectious viral disease affecting pigs and wild boar. It can cause severe illness, high mortality rates and, in some cases, sudden death. While it does not pose a threat to human health, there is currently no widely available vaccine, making it a significant risk to animal welfare and farm businesses.

Although African Swine Fever is not present in the UK, its continued spread across Europe means the threat to British pig farms remains substantial. The virus is highly resilient, capable of surviving in a range of conditions and spreading through infected meat, contaminated materials, wild boar and contact between animals. As a notifiable disease, any suspicion must be reported immediately.

Our Spotlight report offers a detailed exploration of African Swine Fever. It explains what the disease is, traces its global evolution, outlines key clinical signs to monitor, examines how the virus spreads and survives, and highlights the measures proposed to protect the UK’s pig herd — alongside guidance on what to do if an outbreak is suspected.

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