African swine fever found in Finnish wild boars

African swine fever has been detected in Finland for the first time after the virus was found in dead wild boar piglets in Virolahti, southeastern Finland, Yle reports. The carcasses were discovered by a local farmer during fieldwork, with the first find made last week.

The Finnish Food Authority has banned hunting, forestry work and the off-leash exercise of dogs in Virolahti, Miehikkälä and the southern part of Lappeenranta. Berry and mushroom picking is also prohibited within three kilometres of the site where the piglets were found in Vaalimaa.

The restrictions are intended to prevent the disease from spreading. African swine fever does not infect humans, but it poses a threat to pork production.

Residents interviewed by Yle said they understood the restrictions. Virolahti resident Marko Niskanen said the spread of the disease had not come as a surprise because wild boars had been moving in the area for years.

Arja Sunila, who was visiting her cottage in Miehikkälä, said she was concerned about the impact on farmers and pig producers. Taina Kummelus, who lives in Virolahti, said the threat was real and was particularly concerned about what the spread of the disease could mean for dog owners. Dogs may currently be exercised only on a lead and along roads in the restricted area.

Kristian Värri, chairman of the Virolahti game management association, said the hunting ban in Virolahti, Miehikkälä and the Ylämaa area effectively ended this year’s hunting season there. He said he believed Finnish hunters understood how serious the situation was, particularly for pork production.

Wild boars can find gaps in the border fence

Wild boars are most common in southeastern Finland and eastern Uusimaa. The Natural Resources Institute Finland estimates that there were about 2,400 wild boars in the country at the beginning of January.

Mervi Kunnasranta, a senior researcher at the institute, said the population had remained fairly stable in recent years because of hunting. Finland’s wild boar population has its roots in Russia, and movement across the eastern border occurs in both directions.

Some animals spend their days in Russia and come to Finland to feed at night, while young animals also move into Finland to establish new territories, Kunnasranta said.

The border barrier cannot completely prevent wild boars from entering Finland. There are gaps in the fence, and wild boars can find them. The animals are also good swimmers, while the fence does not extend across large bodies of water.

African swine fever has also been detected in Sweden and Estonia in recent years. Kunnasranta said it was unlikely that wild boars had arrived from those countries.

No information on infections in Russia

Sirpa Kiviruusu, head of the Finnish Food Authority’s unit for animal health and medication, said she would not comment on whether the infections detected in Virolahti could have originated in Russia.

According to Kiviruusu, the authority has no information about possible African swine fever infections in Russia. She said no cases had been detected near Finland’s eastern border at least before 2022.

The closest reported cases in Russia have been in Pskov, near the Estonian border, she said. Contact between Finland and Russian veterinary authorities ceased after 2022.

Kiviruusu also said Russia had reported possible African swine fever infections poorly to the World Organisation for Animal Health, WOAH, despite being obliged to do so as a member.