The Effects of African Swine Fever Virus On Romanian Agriculture

Starting with July 31, 2017 - the first outbreaks of African swine fever virus or A.S.F.V in domestic pigs were reported in households in Satu Mare County was initially introduced with pork products purchased from Ukraine and introduced illegally in the country. In 2018, the swine fever virus Africans entered Romania with wild boars in the border area with Ukraine, initially in the households of Satu Mare County and later in Tulcea county, the Ceatalchioi area spreading with a fairly high speed, affecting the whole country. The disease has rapidly evolved in domestic pigs, mainly due to the uncontrolled movements of animals, meat, and pork products from the outbreak areas to the unaffected areas. In parallel, there have been cases of African swine fever virus in wild pigs. Due to the specific situation of Romania, with many pigs raised in households, with pigs raised in open systems; animals being free, the epidemic spread very quickly, with a significant impact on herds of pigs due to mortality and disease eradication measures, which require preventive euthanasia of the entire contaminated herd. This paper is planning to analyze the outcome of African swine fever virus onto Romania’s economy and propose measures to stop the spread of the virus. One of the main objective is to provide the snapshot of Romanian economical situation regarding livestock, to highlight the importance of local farms and therefore its major impact on economy.