It was in the autumn of 2023 that African swine fever was confirmed in Sweden. The serious viral disease affects wild boars and pigs, and an infected zone was established shortly thereafter near Fagersta and Norberg.
The Swedish strategy for combating the infection has since proven to be successful. The Swedish Board of Agriculture has worked intensively with the National Veterinary Institute, SVA, the hunting community, and other actors on tracking and combating the infection.
The success factors have been determination and efficiency, says Lena Hellqvist Björnerot, chief veterinarian at the Swedish Board of Agriculture, and points to, among other things, good cooperation between hunters, municipalities, and authorities, as well as the "incredible compliance" shown by residents in the affected area in Fagersta.
Even Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren is delighted that Sweden has been declared free from the disease and will inform other countries' ministers at today's meeting of agriculture and fisheries ministers in Brussels.
Thanks to fantastic work from our authorities who were on their toes, good preparation, but also enormous commitment from hundreds of local hunters, we have managed to get rid of this infection in record time, he says to TT in Brussels.
