Alarm in the Rhein-Neckar district: African swine fever is spreading!

Alarm in the Rhein-Neckar district: African swine fever is spreading!

African swine fever (ASF) is back in the Rhine-Neckar district. How rhein-neckar-kreis.de reported, the virus was detected on June 16, 2025 in a young animal shot in Laudenbach. This well-founded evidence is confirmed by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), which also documented a positive bone find in the same region. The head of the Rhein-Neckar district's public order and health department, Doreen Kuss, makes it clear that further positive cases in the district cannot be ruled out.

Since ASF was first detected near Hemsbach in August 2024, the disease has spread in the region, making comprehensive preventive measures necessary. More than 500 cases of ASF have also been documented in the neighboring Bergstrasse district, making the situation even more complicated. ASF, a highly contagious viral infection among wild and domestic pigs, is almost always fatal for the animals and is harmless to humans Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture highlights.

Preventive measures and dynamics of spread

Numerous exclusion zones and protective fences have been set up in the Rhein-Neckar district to prevent the spread of the virus. A total of 22 kilometers of protective fences were erected along major roads to prevent infected wild boars from entering. Further electric fences are already being planned to further increase security in the affected areas. The ASF situation is described as extremely dynamic, and the district therefore plans to expand disease control measures while the existing exclusion zones remain in place.

In addition, intensive searches for dead wild boars are organized. These activities take place in collaboration with the Training Center Retten und Helfen Mosbach (TCRH) and local hunters. From the SWR It is known that federal highway 460 is considered the last bastion before the state and district borders, which underlines the need for protective measures.

Challenges of animal disease control

The spread of ASF has been observed in Europe since 2014, especially in southeastern countries. In Germany, transmissions have now been detected in several federal states. Carelessly disposed of leftover food and contact between wild and domestic pigs are common routes of transmission. The virus threat also remains for a long time, especially in chilled or frozen meat, increasing the challenge for animal disease control.

This makes the official measures to contain the animal disease all the more important. In the event of outbreaks, exclusion zones are set up and movement restrictions apply to live animals and their products. The situation in the Rhein-Neckar district therefore remains to be followed closely while the local authorities do everything they can to get the pandemic under control and to provide pig farmers with the best possible information.