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The experts evaluated the VFB's monthly inspection of pig farms in risk areas, strict monitoring of compliance with the bio-safety requirements and cooperation with scientists as being a very good practice.

"The experts participating in the mission found that the main cause of the rapid spread of swine fever and domestic pig farms getting infected was a very high concentration of the disease in the wild boar population," said VFB animal health, animal welfare and animal feeding department head Maarja Kristian.

She said that the role of humans in spreading the disease should not be underestimated in the disease reaching domestic pigs. "Therefore the importance of the implementation of biosecurity measures was stressed," said Kristian.

The experts stated that as many wild boar carcasses as possible have to be buried to fight the disease in the woods and the wild boar population has to be reduced.

The mission was attended by African swine fever experts from Germany, Italy and Russia, and the European Commission, the OIE and the FAO representatives.

Expert missions will be carried out in all seven countries where African swine fever is spreading – in addition to Estonia also in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.