African swine fever is affecting several European countries, affecting both domestic pigs and wild boars. Many cases have been detected in wild boars in northern Italy, in regions bordering France. Already affected in other regions, Germany confirmed half a dozen new cases of ASF in wild boars near Frankfurt, 100 kilometers from France's border, in mid-June.

Although harmless to humans, ASF is contagious and fatal to pigs and wild boars, and has serious economic consequences for farmers and the entire pork industry.

The virus has a long lifespan, including in meat and cold cuts. It is therefore essential not to bring back from abroad, and in particular from areas affected by ASF, food containing pork or wild boar.

To this end, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty's campaign provides specific messages to each of the stakeholders concerned:

A call for vigilance is also directed to hunters, walkers and pig or wild boar breeders. Any suspicion of disease in breeding must be reported to the veterinarian; any wild boar found dead in the natural environment must be reported to the SAGIR network run by the French Office for Biodiversity and the departmental hunting federations.

International sporting events and risks of spreading ASF: Call for vigilance

The recent cases of ASF in wild boars in Germany are located 500 kilometers from the areas previously listed as heavily contaminated, located on the border with Poland. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty says this geographical “jump” is certainly due to infected food leftovers from areas affected by the disease, which were thrown into the wild and then consumed by a wild boar, causing the contamination of other wild boars.

This communication campaign is an opportunity to remind anyone likely to travel to and from Germany, particularly holidaymakers and supporters, of the essential measures to avoid importing the ASF virus into French territory:

The same precautionary measures are recommended for all international travelers expected in France this summer, particularly during the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.