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February 5, 2026, marked exactly one year since the last confirmed case of African swine fever (ASF) in a wild boar in the Bautzen district, meaning there are no longer any active cases of the disease in Saxony. Therefore, ASF is considered successfully eradicated in this German state.
Following the first case on October 31, 2020, in a wild boar that had presumably migrated from Poland via the Neisse River, a total of 2,398 cases of ASF were confirmed in Saxony. In 2023, the restricted areas necessary for ASF control reached their maximum extent, covering approximately one-third of Saxony's area. Some 830 km of protective fencing were erected to restrict the movement of wild boar and, consequently, the spread of the virus. Of this, approximately 480 km of fencing has already been removed.
The fight against the animal disease required a significant reduction in the wild boar population through individual hunts and drives carried out by the Saxon hunting community. Numerous traps were also deployed to allow for the selective removal of the animals. A crucial measure was the almost daily search for carcasses, carried out primarily with tracking dogs and drones funded by the Free State of Saxony and supported by local hunting rights holders, as well as forestry and government employees.
More than 1,800 of the 2,398 infected wild boars were identified through these searches. The samples were analyzed at the Saxon State Research Institute (LUA). Since October 2020, approximately 237,500 samples have been examined: around 139,000 from wild boars and almost 99,000 from domestic pigs. The Free State of Saxony has invested approximately €60 million total in the fight against ASF.
The Ministry of Social Affairs will request this month that the European Commission lift the restricted zone in the Bautzen district. The protective corridor along the border with Poland in the Görlitz district, consisting of two parallel fences, will remain in place until ASF has also been eradicated in the adjacent areas of Poland. However, the positive evolution of the ASF situation in both countries has already allowed for adjustments to the risk assessment, and the dismantling of part of the mobile barrier against wild boar, which had been installed along the Neisse River, in addition to the permanent fences, has begun.
February 5, 2026/ Ministry of Social Affairs, Health and Social Cohesion of the State of Saxony/ Germany.
https://www.medienservice.sachsen.de
