CSF Continues Spread in Romania

August 24, 2007 — 

Romanian authorities confirmed a new outbreak of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) at a farm in western Romania owned by Smithfield Foods.

This latest outbreak involves a farm housing 15,000 pigs near the Hungarian border. Officials indicate that 18,000 pigs in the surrounding village will be destroyed in an effort to control the spread of the disease. Smithfield Foods destroyed approximately 20,000 pigs in response to the initial outbreak in the same region.

The company is the largest pork producer in western Romania having invested over $1 billion and maintains 25 farms.

[Ed. Note: CSF is endemic in feral swine and some domestic pigs in Romania. Romania entered the European Union on January 1, 2007. As a condition of accession, Romania submitted a plan for the control and eradication of CSF in feral pigs. The plan calls for the emergency vaccination of feral pigs and the use of a marker vaccine or a live attenuated conventional vaccine in domestic swine. Romania cannot export pork or pork products to other EU countries.]