An outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) has been recorded in the Vainode parish of the South Kurzeme region, at the pig farming complex of Vainodes Bekons LLC, which houses more than 22,000 domestic pigs, the Food and Veterinary Service (PVS) reported to LETA.
In the ASF-affected farm, the Food and Veterinary Service (PVS) is conducting measures to combat the disease and its localization, as well as an epidemiological investigation. To eliminate the outbreak and prevent further spread of the disease, the slaughter of pigs will begin in the infected buildings.
A quarantine zone has been established around the farm where ASF has been detected. In the farms located in this zone, the PVS will strengthen control over the health status of pigs and compliance with biosecurity requirements. Restrictions on the movement of pigs and products made from them have been introduced in the quarantine zone.
The agency notes that the main natural reservoir of the disease is wild boars.
As reported by LETA, this year ASF has been detected in 83 wild boars in 37 parishes across 13 regions in Latvia.
Since June 2014, when ASF was first registered in Latvia, the virus has been identified in a total of 11,294 wild boars, including: in 2014 – 217, in 2015 – 1,048, in 2016 – 1,146, in 2017 – 1,431, in 2018 – 905, in 2019 – 430, in 2020 – 377, in 2021 – 448, in 2022 – 1,274, in 2023 – 1,002, in 2024 – 1,433, and in 2025 – 1,500 wild boars.
ASF was first registered in Latvia in June 2014 in three wild boars just a few meters from the Belarusian border. ASF is a highly dangerous disease, and if detected in a domestic pig farm, all livestock must be destroyed.
The turnover of Vainodes Bekons in 2024 amounted to 5.938 million euros, which is 1.8% more than the previous year, however, the company's profit decreased by 5.2 times to 203,618 euros, according to data from the Firmas.lv portal.
The company was registered in 1998, with a share capital of 3.463 million euros. The sole owner of Vainodes Bekons is Vainode Agro Holding LLC, which, in turn, belongs to AmberStone Group JSC. The beneficial owner of Vainodes Bekons is Nika Berne.
The PVS is a state institution under the Ministry of Agriculture, responsible for state supervision and control in the field of food and veterinary circulation.
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